A Strange Engagement
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Hermione is stuck on a dreary beach vacation with her parents when she gets a letter from Draco. His grandparents are coming and think he's engaged. She's his fake fiancee, but it's strictly business..right? R&R! Fuzzy Malfoy Family Alert!
1. A Joke?

Hermione Granger sat at her desk in her room at Malfoy manor fuming silently to herself. She didn't know how she'd gotten herself into this mess. The summer had been miserable of course, she didn't know how it could've gone any other way, but what she'd done had been necessary. It wasn't that she _liked_ Draco or anything, because she didn't. It had been a business deal, that was all.

It had started after Hogwarts had let out for the summer holidays. She'd gone back home and found her parents sitting on the couch in the living room watching television. When the two of them got a good look at her, her father grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. Then the room was silent.

Then, just when the hum of the air conditioner was threatening to lull her to sleep, her mother finally spoke.

"Darling, get packed. We're meeting the Quinns for our yearly vacation to the beach and we don't want to be late."

Snapped out of her reverie, Hermione finally got a good look at her parents who were dressed in full-on beach attire including sunglasses and floppy hats. On either side of both of them were two large, tan suitcases undoubtedly filled with more clothes and things with which one could have hours of fun in the sun and surf.

She groaned internally. How could she have forgotten about this? The yearly beach vacation with the Quinns was her parents' favorite part of the summer.

Steve and Cheryl Quinn were friends of theirs that her parents had known since their early school days and to Hermione, they were two of the most annoying people to ever walk the earth. They were perky and they treated her like she was five years old. But the real issue that Hermione had with the Quinns was the Quinn boys.

There were two of them. Jonathan, the eldest, was a quiet sort, very shy. Both sets of parents had tried to push the two of them together for years with the idea that if he and Hermione were together, Jonathan would come out of his introverted shell and he and she would live happily ever after.

Timothy was the younger of course, and he was the exact opposite of his brother: loud, obnoxious and rude. He had had a crush on her for years, and had never made her doubt his intentions. He almost stalked her, calling the Granger cabin at odd hours of the night to whisper what he considered to be sweet-nothings in her ear. Her parents knew about it, but they had told her that if she ignored it, he would get bored and eventually leave her alone. That had been five years ago, and the silent treatment hadn't done a thing.

Even so, she got up from the couch and walked up to her room to pack, reminding herself that this was the last summer she would have to do it. After that, she would explain the whole wizarding world maturity-adult situation to her parents and pray that they would let her live on her own.

After she finished packing, she lugged her suitcase downstairs and handed it to her father, then followed her parents to the car and resigned herself to fate and another summer at the beach.

* * *

At Malfoy manor, there was panic everywhere. Lucius had just gotten an owl from his parents saying that they were coming for a visit to see Draco and his fiancée. When Narcissa had confronted him about it, he confessed that he had told his parents that Draco was engaged to stop the nagging letters that the clock was ticking. 

"So you told them that Draco was _engaged_?" she had shrieked at him hysterically. "Do you realize what your parents will say when they find out that you lied to them and that he's not engaged at all? What are we going to do?"

Lucius sighed. "Yes, I realize that that wasn't the wisest course of action, but there's nothing that we can do now. We shall simply have to find someone to play the part."

Narcissa's face turned white. "You want to lie to your parents? Get Draco a fake fiancée?"

He nodded. "Yes, of course. My parents won't know the difference. Now, who shall it be?"

"Pansy Parkinson?" suggested Narcissa.

Lucius shook his head. "No, she's dumb as a post. Plus, my mother wants a _pretty _granddaughter-in-law."

Just then, there was a knock on the study door and Draco entered the room.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Well," Lucius answered, "in a moment of weakness, I told your grandparents that you were engaged and they're coming in a fortnight to see you and meet your new fiancee."

Draco's eyes widened. "Really? And who might that be?"

Lucius shook his head. "That's the problem. All the girls you know are either too stupid or too ugly to consider."

Draco paused for a moment and looked pained. Then, he slowly pulled out the latest issue of the _Daily Prophet _and set it down in front of his father.

"Look at page three," he said quietly.

Lucius did, and was surprised to see a picture of a very pretty girl accepting some sort of award from Professor McGonagall. The headline was short: Granger Scores Top on O.W.L.s

Lucius didn't read anymore. He was having a hard time accepting what he was going to have to do, and he knew Draco was too. But he wouldn't show it.

"Is that really Miss Granger?" he asked.

Draco shrugged. "Yeah, she's really changed."

Son looked at father, then Draco asked, "shall I send her an owl?"

* * *

Hermione was hiding under her bedclothes in the cabin and trying not to make any noise. Timothy's goal for this summer was to try and kiss her, and he'd nearly given her heart attacks several times, jumping out from behind bushes with his lips puckered. 

Then, she heard the squeaking noise. It sounded like an owl. Hermione pulled the covers away and saw the owl sitting at the end of her bed. It didn't look like Pig or Hedwig. She carefully crawled to the end of the bed and took the letter off its leg. When she opened up the rolled up parchment, she groaned right away.

_Granger, _

_I never thought I'd say this, but an emergency has arisen at home and I need your help. My grandparents are coming to visit and they think I am engaged. After a lot of brainstorming, my parents deem you the only girl suitable to be my fiancée. I will send an escort to come pick you up tomorrow._

_Draco Malfoy_

Only the plot is mine.


	2. Sealing the Deal

Hermione stared at the letter for a very long time, blinking often to make sure it wasn't some hallucination. And it didn't seem to be, but then she'd have to ask herself why Malfoy would write her a letter like that. After a bit of careful deliberation, she got a piece of stationary from the little drawer in the nightstand next to her bed and penned a note.

_Dear Ron,_

_I miss you and Harry horribly. My parents and I are on our annual beach holiday and as per usual, the rotten son of my parents' friends is trying to get my attention. Things are a bit dreary and one of Fred and George's products is just what I need to cheer up. But I have one question. Did it seriously have to be disguised as a gag help letter from Malfoy?_

_I should be at the Burrow when we get back. See you soon._

_Love from, _

_Hermione_

_P.S. When did you get the new owl?_

Smiling to herself, Hermione motioned for the owl to come and get her letter so it could be delivered to Ron, but to her surprise, the owl on her bed wouldn't take the letter when she held it out. Finally, she just gave up and slumped back against the pillows. Then, there was a scratching at her window, and she looked up to see Pig perched on the other side of the closed sill. He was clutching a letter in his beak and seemed eager to get inside.

The minute Hermione opened the window, Pig zoomed in and began a mad flight around the ceiling fan. Hermione watched interestedly. The tiny owl seemed to think he had competition from an owl much larger then himself and kept trying to fly faster and faster.

After Pig got tired, he fell onto the bed and Hermione was finally able to read the letter he had brought her, which just happened to be from Ron.

_Hermione,_

_I can't help but feel sorry for you in your current situation, so I thought I might send you one of Fred and George's new products so you'll cheer up. It's called Praising Paper, and when ever you feel bad, write your grievances on it and it will compliment you and make you feel happy again._

_Oh, and did you hear what happened to Malfoy? It seems like his grandparents really want him to be engaged so his father sent them an owl telling them he was, and now they're coming to see who he's marrying! His parents had to get someone to play the part. Isn't that funny? Hope you like the Praising Paper and I'll see you at home when you get back._

_Ron_

As Hermione finished Ron's letter, her heart froze. Malfoy's letter was real! And that meant…oh, God it was almost too much! Shaking her head, she wrote a reply to Ron's letter.

_Dear Ron,_

_I'm afraid I won't be at the Burrow this summer as I have unexpectedly become engaged…to Malfoy._

_Hermione_

And with that, she crumpled up her first letter and sent the second one off with Pig. Then, she looked at the owl that must've come from Malfoy's house. It stared back, and after a few moments, Hermione heard a sound outside the cabin.

She ran to the window and saw what looked like an entire herd of magnificent black horses. And sitting on top of one of them was Draco Malfoy himself. After surveying the scenery around him distastefully for a moment or two, he gracefully dismounted and stalked over to the window where he saw her watching him.

Without asking her permission, he vaulted over the window ledge and landed on the bedroom floor barely giving her a chance to move away. He eyed her critically for a few moments.

"Is _that_ what you're wearing to meet my family?" he asked her, eyeing her cutoffs and tie-dyed white tank top with distaste.

She frowned at him. "Who says I'm coming with you? I haven't agreed to anything yet, you despicable-"

"Did I mention that you're getting paid?" he cut her off smoothly.

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

"You're getting paid."

She eyed him suspiciously. "How much?"

He grabbed a piece of parchment off her bed and wrote down a sum. When Hermione saw just how much she'd be earning, she practically fell over. Then, reality set in.

"Do you honestly think I can be bought? I would never make myself miserable just for money!" she said icily. Just then, there was a mad knocking at her bedroom door. Before she could move, Timothy charged in the room holding mistletoe over his head. He ran over to her and before she could bat him away, he held it over both their heads and kissed her sloppily on the lips.Then he ran out of the room cheering to himself.

As the door closed, Hermione scrubbed at her mouth angrily. Talking more to herself then anyone, she said "I can't believe that just happened. Now he'll probably try for a French! I don't know why I agreed to come this year!"

Then she looked up to see Malfoy smiling satisfactorily at her.

"You're right Granger. You don't need to make yourself miserable for money. It seems like you do well enough making yourself miserable for free."

Then, with a swish of his emerald green cloak, he turned towards the window and prepared to exit again. That was when Hermione made her choice.

"Wait a minute, Malfoy. I'll do it. I'll be your fake fiancée or whatever it is you need. If I have to spend another minute here, I'll go mad."

He turned to her and held out his hand. "Come on, then. You wouldn't happen to have any nicer clothes, would you?"

She shook her head. "Not here. All my really nice witches' robes are at home in my school trunk."

Malfoy nodded decisively. "Good. We'll stop there and get your things, and then we'll go home."

He led her to the horses, and to Hermione's surprise, they all could fly. As hers took off, Hermione watched the beach disappear as she tried to prepare herself for a much more interesting summer.


	3. Choosing Daphne

As she and Malfoy flew back to her house, Hermione suddenly asked herself how she was going to explain this mess to her parents. Calling and confessing all seemed like the most convenient option. When they arrived, she, for some reason, felt compelled to invite him inside. He followed her somewhat grudgingly, muttering under his breath about how late this stop would make them.

When they entered the house, he followed her into the kitchen and stared perplexedly as he watched her make the phone call back to the resort.

"What's that?" he asked her forcefully. She rolled her eyes at him.

"It's a phone. It's how muggles communicate. The sooner you get my stuff, the sooner we'll be able to leave after I finish this call."

Malfoy's eyes had narrowed at her somewhat sharp tone, but even he saw the reason in her statement, and went off in search of her trunk. As soon as he had disappeared down the hallway, Hermione continued the call to her parents.

"Hello? Mum, Dad, something came up regarding school and I had to leave the cabin. I won't be able to come back. Tell the Quinns I'm sorry. Yes. Yes, of course I will. All right, okay. Love you too. Bye." She was thankful for once that her parents were muggles and didn't pry too much into her magical affairs. They had been a little disappointed that she'd had to leave early, but since it was for magical purposes, they had deemed it necessary. They'd hung up with promises to take lots of pictures and bring her another t-shirt for her beach t-shirt collection.

As she put the phone back in the cradle, she couldn't help staring at it as if it were as magical an object as her wand. She didn't snap out of her reverie until Malfoy cleared his throat. Then, she looked up to see him holding some garments in one hand and steering her school trunk behind him with the other.

"Here," he told her, holding out a dark blue dress robe that she'd just outgrown. "Put this on."

She pushed the robe away and looked at him incredulously. "Are you seriously picking out my clothes for me? Come on, Malfoy. I _am _old enough to dress myself."

He shook his head. "You have no idea how you're supposed to dress. I looked through all your clothes and this was the only suitable one I could find."

Hermione groaned. "But it's too _small_!"

He waved the statement away. "That doesn't matter. My grandparents won't mind if you show skin. To them, a tight outfit means that you've been with lots of boys and it will give them the classic opportunity to brag about how their grandson managed to snatch a popular girl."

Groaning, she snatched the robe away from him and went into the bathroom to put it on. Unfortunately, when she told Malfoy that the robe was too small, it was _really_ too small. The bodice got stuck halfway up her and made it impossible to pull up. Eventually, Malfoy came looking for her and got himself a good laugh. With ingenuity and a pair of scissors, the two of them fixed the robe up so she could at least get it over her head. Then, they grabbed her things and were off.

The ride to the Manor was very uncomfortable for Hermione. She kept feeling robe fabric in places robe fabric was not meant to be, and she had to keep shifting on her horse in order to be the least bit comfortable.

Finally, after what seemed like a million years, Malfoy finally shouted at her that they had arrived. The horses were parked, and for some reason, he felt like being nice to her and lifted her onto the ground.

Reluctantly, she followed him into the Manor, and they were both greeted by a serene-looking Narcissa.

"What's going on, Mother?" Draco asked curiously. "I thought visits from Grandmother and Grandfather made you tense."

Narcissa nodded. "They do. But we're lucky. They got delayed, and are arriving in two days. That will give us time to think up a decent cover-up story. Come inside and sit down and we can talk about it."

They followed her into a cavernous sitting room with a sparkling glass chandelier. She motioned for them to sit next to each other on an overstuffed emerald-green couch while she sat in the matching chair opposite them.

"So, have you two thought about what you're going to say when asked how you met and that sort of thing?"

Hermione and Draco looked at each other for a moment.

"No, mother, we haven't." Draco answered.

Narcissa nodded. "Any ideas?"

They thought for a moment.

"We could say we met at school," Hermione suggested. "Then it wouldn't be a total lie."

Draco shook his head. "They know all the Slytherin seventh-years. Besides, they'd probably want us to have met at a much more exotic place then school. I know! I'll say that I started dating you after your horrible break-up with Apollo Windham."

Hermione looked at him blankly. "And who is that?"

He looked at her incredulously. "He plays Qudditch for England. He's incredible, Slytherin alumni and everything."

Narcissa looked at Draco approvingly. "That's brilliant, Draco."

Malfoy smiled. "Thank you, Mother."

Hermione put up a hand. "Hold on. So we're going to tell your grandparents that I, Hermione Granger, had a horrible break-up with a famous Quidditch player and then began dating you? That is so farfetched!"

Both Malfoys shook their heads. "No, that's not what we're going to tell them," Draco told her. "As far as they're concerned, Hermione Granger doesn't exist. We're going to have to give you a whole new personality in two days. But first, a name. Any in particular you like?"

Shrugging helplessly, Hermione answered, "I've always been fond of Daphne."

Draco nodded. "All right. Mother, it is now our job to bring Daphne Gemini into existence."


	4. Effects of a Dinner Party

The next forty-eight hours were the most interesting of Hermione's life. She was given proper lessons on this thing and that way to behave and such, and what really surprised her was that all the Malfoys remained civil to her throughout the whole process.

After both Narcissa and Draco claimed she was as ready as she would ever be, they practiced calling her by her new name so she would be used to it, and wouldn't give Draco's grandparents any strange looks when they were trying to get her attention.

But the real test came on the night before arrival when Narcissa invited Pansy to dinner. Pansy took one look at the person Hermione had become and smiled, as if she was willing to be friends with her. They had dinner and pleasant conversation, and finally, during dessert, Draco informed Pansy of "Daphne's" true identity.

"Are you kidding?" Pansy asked, looking at each Malfoy in turn with a slack jaw and wide, unbelieving eyes.

Narcissa shook her head. "No, I'm afraid we're not, but we've done such a good job that I sometimes forget myself." She laughed a little.

"Why'd you do it?" Pansy asked, wiping invisible pudding crumbs off the hem of her robes.

Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other, slightly nervous. Of all the people to ask, why did it have to be her? They couldn't tell her the absolute truth because it would make them look like traitors. Draco finally broke the silence.

"Some of the boys and I made a bet, Pansy and the loser had to pick a mudblood to fix up and go out with for the rest of next year. Unfortunately, as you can see by the state of this, I lost the bet."

After he supplied the explanation, Hermione gave him a look that could've frozen over the Atlantic Ocean. He looked at her for a few seconds, then stared down at the table. Something was stirring inside of him and he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not.

It wasn't that he was in love with Granger or anything, he just felt bad about calling her a mudblood and he had no idea why. It used to make him feel so good to see her be shot down. But now…

* * *

Later that night, he knocked on her bedroom door. When she answered it, she seemed more then a little surprised to see him standing on the other side.

"Can I help you?" he looked at her in her dressing gown for a minute, then turned away from her.

"I need to speak with you, but I can come back when you're properly dressed." He started to walk away, but her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't be silly. You can come in right now; I mean we are fake engaged, aren't we?"

He turned around and gave her a true smile. "Yes, I guess we are."

He followed her into her bedroom and sat at the foot of the bed while she sat up at the head. After he had settled in, she waited for him to speak and he didn't disappoint her.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what I said today. We were all nervous about what to tell Pansy and it was as good as I could come up with on the spot."

She sighed and hugged a pillow to her chest. "I'm a little surprised that you came all the way down here to apologize, but I'm glad you did. Thank you. And I'm sorry I gave you the look. I guess I was so comfortable with how well we were getting along that when you finally let the word slip, it sort of shocked me."

He nodded, then looked at the clock above her dresser. It was almost two in the morning.

"We should probably get to bed. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want bags under your eyes when my grandparents show up."

He was almost off the bed when he felt her hand lightly touch his arm.

"Do you know where some sleeping potion is around here? I think I'm too riled up to even attempt getting to sleep on my own.

He nodded. "Of course, I'll be right back."

"Thank you."

As Draco closed her door behind him, he felt a light tug on the end of his robes. He turned around and found a house-elf staring at him.

"Is there something Mistress is requiring sir?"

He nodded. "Sleeping potion, immediately."

The house-elf nodded and scurried away. Draco stood in the hallway by Daphne's bedroom door until it returned, then he took the potion in to her and watched her take it.

Then, he left for his own room, feeling very strange and disconcerted. Even sleep was difficult because it kept being interrupted by new emotions and strange visions he never thought he would have.

Throughout that next day, Draco acted strange and he didn't know why. His parents noticed as well, and Narcissa especially looked as if she wanted to send him straight to Saint Mungo's.

"What is the matter with you? You've been acting very odd." She pointed out to him when she managed to catch him alone. "Your grandparents will be here in three hours so you better figure out what's wrong and fix it."

He frowned and put his hand on his forehead. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Maybe I need to spend some time in bed."

Narcissa nodded. "All right. Just be down in the sitting room before seven."

Draco walked slowly up to his bedroom and collapsed on the floor. He truly didn't know what was wrong with him. He didn't feel sick, but there was definitely something wrong with him.

He got into bed and tried to relax, but like the night before, sleep and relaxation seemed nearly impossible.

After about half an hour, he heard a knock on his door, and to his surprise, it was Daphne carrying a tray of little treats.

"Your mother wanted to have one of the house elves bring these up to you, but I told her I'd do it. Are you still having trouble sleeping?"

He nodded.

She set the tray down, and came over to sit beside him.

"I had a lot of trouble sleeping at night when I was little. I was afraid of the dark and used to think that there were witches in my closet who would jump out and eat me as soon as my parents turned out the light."

Draco laughed a little bit.

"I know, isn't that ironic?" she smiled. "Anyway, when it got really bad, she would sing to me and it would help me sleep. Would you like me to do it for you too, or would that be below your dignity?"

He shook his head. "At this point, I'll try anything."

So he shut his eyes and she began to sing. He had to admit that she had a very soothing voice, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

He had some good dreams and was right in the middle of one where he was trapped in Honeydukes and consuming pound upon pound of sugar quills when all of a sudden it shattered and he found himself looking at his mother's very tense face.

"Dress quickly Draco. Your grandparents are here."


	5. A Too Stellar Performance

A/N- Now, Hermione will only be called Daphne in the presence of Draco's grandparents. Otherwise, she will be referred to as Hermione.

He jumped out of bed and since the room was still dark, immediately stubbed his toe on one of the legs of his night table. Cursing, he got some light in the room and walked over to the robe closet.

Mentally going over every robe he owned, he picked out the green one again. It never failed to impress anyone. After that, he went through his hair quick with a brush and then ran down the stairs, skidding to a stop in front of everyone who was already waiting for him in the sitting room.

The first thing he saw was the look on his grandmother's face as she shot Narcissa a dirty look.

"Really, is that how you've taught the boy to enter a room and not even tell his grandparents hello?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No," she said through clenched teeth. "Draco hasn't been well and he just woke up. That's why he was late."

His grandmother surveyed him for a moment. Then, she sat back gracefully.

"Well, at least you'll be marrying someone who'll make up for all your shortcomings! Your father has been telling me about Daphne and I must say I am very pleased about the girl you got yourself engaged to!"

Then his grandfather broke in.

"How did the two of you meet?"

And before Draco could get a word in edgewise, Daphne opened her mouth.

"I guess I'm grateful to him really. We started dating after my terrible breakup with Apollo Windham, you know, the quidditch player?

"Well, after it happened, I was so heartbroken that I ran out of the arena crying my eyes out. Draco came up to me and we started talking and realized we had a lot in common. We went out for butterbeers and a few months later we became engaged!"

His grandmother was smiling openly. "Well, that is quite a story. My grandson engaged to the former girlfriend of a quidditch player! Now, tell me: What is your house at Hogwarts?"

After that question, tense silence filled the room. They hadn't made plans about how to answer it.

But when Daphne answered, it was with a calm that surprised them all.

"Well, actually, I didn't go to Hogwarts. My mother was a former teacher at a magic school in America and she tutored me at home. She had been a Slytherin alumnus herself along with my father and she always said that she didn't want me to be tainted by lower-class temptations."

This revelation stunned everyone. The three Malfoys looked at each other and when his grandparents weren't looking, Daphne winked conspiratorially at him.

Soon after that, it was time for dinner and the conversation was very easy. Draco watched his grandparent's faces for any sign of displeasure but it seemed as if Daphne had passed day one.

After drinks and dessert, everyone decided that it would be best to go to bed. Once they were sure that the elder Malfoys were asleep, Narcissa motioned for Draco and Hermione to come into the kitchen for a conference, while Lucius went into his study with a drink in hand.

"That went well," Narcissa commented. "Hermione, that bit about you being in school in the States was brilliant and I really think they're cotton to you."

Hermione nodded modestly. "Thank you, but I'll admit that when she asked the question about where I went to school, I almost freaked out and told her the truth! That story I fed her was just made up out of thin air."

Narcissa went back into the sitting room and checked the clock. It was almost midnight. She walked back into the little alcove and addressed Draco and Hermione.

"It's nearly midnight, so I want the two of you to try and get some rest. We all did well today, but this is only day one."

Draco and Hermione bid Narcissa and Lucius good night and went to their respective bedrooms. Draco's journey happened without incident, but on the way to her own room, Hermione saw that the door to the guest bedroom where Draco's grandparents were was open a crack and that his grandmother was writing a note, which was reading itself as the words touched the paper.

"_Dear Arion,_

_You must bring the family down here to meet Draco's fiancée!_

_Lucius and Narcissa have done an absolutely splendid job finding someone for him. She's smart, charming and beautiful, not to mention very well-bred._

_I know that you're ready to patch things up with Lucius, and you must admit that it's been years since the two of you have sat down together and had a civilized conversation._

_Maybe Daphne, (that's the lucky girl's name) can even find a suitable girl for Fallon! If possible, I want you to come._

_Mother"_

About ten minutes after the letter was signed, another voice read a reply out to Draco's grandmother.

"_Dear Mother,_

_You know better then anyone how much I wish to patch things up with Lucius. However, you might speak to him before I arrive and tell him that I'm coming._

_I can't wait to meet this girl. Fallon's brought several girls home for our inspection but none of them are of proper breeding or even come close to meeting the family standards. Maybe it is time to go to some outside sources. I asked Allegra and she says that we will be able to come in a few days. _

_Can't wait to see you,_

_Arion"_

After the letter was done reading itself, Hermione quickly ran to Draco's room to tell him the news, but when she arrived she found an unpleasantly familiar sight.

As she entered his room, Draco glowered at her.

"What do you want?"

She frowned. "What is your problem? I thought we were getting on well. Besides, your grandparents like me."

He scowled. "They do like you. Too much. What the hell am I supposed to tell them when we have to get the divorce?"

"What do you mean?"

He growled and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Of course we're getting a divorce! Do you honestly want to spend the rest of our lives in this sick and twisted lie?"

He looked at her, waiting for her to say something, but she couldn't find any words. She backed up to sit on his bed, picked up his pillow and hugged it to her chest. Finally, she spoke.

"No, I don't," she answered firmly. "Not if you act like that. Besides, if anyone thinks that I'm going to dump my _good_ friends to be glued to Pansy's hip, they are sorely mistaken. I'm glad to know that you're still the same git you always were."

Draco's face didn't change expression. "Good. Then we understand one another?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course. And I didn't come to pick a fight. I was going to my room when I heard your grandmother writing a letter to somebody named Arion, telling him to bring Darian along too. Then Arion responded saying he'd be here in a few days."

Draco's eyes widened. "My uncle Arion's coming here? And he's bringing my cousin Fallon too? Father will not be glad to hear that."


	6. An Indecent Proposition

Hermione spent the next few days in her room, only coming out for meals and when her presence was absolutely necessary. Narcissa told everyone that she was tired, but the truth was that she was panicking.

As Draco had predicted, Lucius was _not_ happy when his mother informed him of his brother's promise to come visit.

"Mother, what the hell were you thinking? Whatever it was, it won't do any good because I said all that I have to say to him a long time ago. I will not have him in this house, do you hear me?"

Then, he grabbed the wine bottle from the table and took a large swig. Taking the bottle with him, he left the table for some deep, secret part of the house.

The silence that followed this outburst was absolute. While everyone stared at each other, the two teenagers pushed away their plates and headed to Draco's room for some prepping.

"So, what happened to make your father hate your uncle so much?"

Hermione watched as Draco moved around the room, picking things up off the floor and putting them in their proper places. She was amazed, because she'd thought house-elves did all the cleaning around here.

After he threw a sock in a drawer, he looked up at her and shrugged.

"Some things Father tells no one, and whenever Mother or I try and get something out of Grandmother, she just shrugs the question off."

She nodded, and began picking at a loose stitch in the comforter on Draco's bed.

"What are they like?"

"Who?"

Hermione frowned. "Your cousin and uncle!"

"Oh." He dropped a pile of schoolbooks where they had been on the floor and sat next to her on the bed, racking his brain for a proper description.

"I like Uncle Arion, actually. He's not like Father at all. He's a bit nicer, and wasn't as popular at Hogwarts. Fallon, I don't like. He finds means to put a bit of bragging into every sentence he speaks. He isn't at Hogwarts because _his _father let him travel the world, and when he got that offer to play quidditch for Scotland, well-"

He stopped and cleared his throat. "Fallon's a bit older then me, and hasn't yet found anyone. His parents were told the same thing mine were: that time is getting short. But the girls he finds himself attracted to are, how can I say this? Not our kind."

Hermione nodded. "You mean that he brought home muggles and mudbloods."

Draco shook his head. "No, I mean they _really_ aren't our kind. I think he's brought home three vampires and two werewolves to date."

Hermione looked at him, stunned. "Really?"

Draco nodded glumly. "Yes."

"He must be really charming."

But at that point, Draco no longer felt like talking and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Hermione sat in the room, alone. She really wondered about these new relatives. Fallon sounded interesting and he couldn't be half as bad as Draco had made him out to be.

Silent was the only word that could explain the final day before there would be two more people in Malfoy Manor.

Lucius was still sulking and Narcissa was trying to make it so that he was reasonably civil and sober before his brother and nephew arrived. Draco wasn't in the best of spirits either and talked only to Hermione, taking care to avoid the hallway that contained his grandparents' bedroom door. Hermione asked Narcissa why Draco had been cleaning his room and she told her that he tended to do things like that when he was nervous or stressed because he needed to do something with his hands.

That night, no one slept at all. Instead, they sat in the parlor watching the clock, counting the hours until the dreaded arrival, much like guests at a badly planned New Year's party who are waiting for midnight so they can go home.

A knock at the door around one in the morning startled everyone. When Narcissa went to answer it, Hermione followed, expecting to see a man, or a boy a little older then herself. Instead, when Narcissa opened the door, there was an elf on the other side dressed in a lacy pillowcase and holding a little trumpet, which it promptly began to blow as soon as it was certain that Narcissa and Hermione were paying sufficient attention.

The noise brought everyone else to the door and then the elf looked behind him and fell forward as he was pushed from behind.

"Master Arion and Master Fallon," it said weakly, as Hermione watched, horrified.

"The scourge of the house of Malfoy," muttered Lucius under his breath. Unfortunately, his mother heard him and dragged him off to the nearest private space to read him the riot act.

Everyone turned their attention back to the front door and before another word could be spoken, a tall man with dark hair flew through the front door. As soon as he was fully inside, Narcissa ushered him to the biggest chair in the parlor next to the fireplace, and his mother left Lucius and came running happily to greet him.

Draco went with everyone else, and Hermione was left by herself.

She walked into the kitchen and waited to be called so she could make an entrance and when Narcissa told her to come in, it was impossible to miss the look of awed surprise on Arion's face. She favored him with a glance for a moment, then trained her eyes to the couch where Draco sat, looking incredibly grumpy, next to a very good looking boy with his father's long black hair and a pair of frost-blue eyes.

When she saw that Arion was looking at her questioningly, Narcissa suddenly snapped back to life.

"Arion, Fallon, this is Daphne, Draco's fiancée."

Fallon smiled charmingly and mock-punched Draco in the shoulder.

"You're lucky. I thought she was a welcoming present for me."

Hermione bit her tongue to keep the sharp retort in her mouth. It seemed that Draco was right about something for once: Fallon was full of charm, there was no doubt, but it was the wrong kind.

Both she and Draco only had to stay civil for another twenty minutes or so. Soon afterwards, Narcissa got a house-elf to show Fallon and Arion to their rooms, and everyone else decided that it would be a good time to go to bed.

After Hermione had finished getting on her pajamas and dressing gown, and was preparing to get into bed and read her copy of _Hogwarts: A Continued History_, she heard a knock at her door. To her great surprise, it was Fallon on the other side.

"How did you find my room?"

"I asked Aunt Narcissa."

"What do you want?"

He gave her a look that made her shiver.

"Are you happy here?"

She hadn't expected the question.

"I'm all right, I guess."

Fallon's mouth formed a grim line.

"Well, if you ever aren't," he reached into a bag at his side and pulled out, of all things, a white rose and placed it delicately at the end of her bed. Then, he gazed at her one last time and left the room without a word. Hermione went over to have a look at the white rose and noticed that it had no thorns and paper wrapped around the stem. On the paper were written the words **I am worthy of you.**


	7. Daphne's Dream

Hermione read the note unbelievingly. Was Fallon hitting on her? This was really weird, and possibly a very bad thing. She rolled up the note and stuck it in her nightstand. Draco would have to know, but now it was late and most likely he was asleep. It wasn't a problem that couldn't wait until morning.

Sighing, she buried herself deep in her bed and tried to get some sleep. Her eyes eventually closed, but the images that joined her in her dreams were a bit unsettling. One image in particular kept vying for her attention. It was Fallon holding that same white rose with no thorns. He was wearing all black and his ice blue eyes seemed to glow. He seemed as pale as winter snow and unnaturally beautiful. There was no note attached to the rose he held, but he said the dreadful words: "I am worthy of you."

Next, she saw herself, dressed in white, looking as different from him as night was from day. She was walking along a stone pathway, and a bright, white harvest moon shown in the night sky above her.

And he was on the other side of the pathway, waiting for her. His eyes seemed to propel her towards him, although she herself could not see in the endless black. The thought of what was with him on the other side of the path frightened her, but somehow she knew that if she just looked away from his cold gaze she could run away from this place, and get out of this nightmare. But it was a near impossible thing to do. Her body wanted her to go as much as her mind wanted her to stay right where she was. The air around her was getting cold, windy. She kept hearing voices, loud and insistent voices, calling her name. Then, something pushed her roughly from behind and she woke up.

* * *

Even when her eyes were fully open, she couldn't quite register what was going on around her. She was on her back on the hard floor of a hallway that seemed very far away from her room. The air around her was cold and she could feel someone trying to push her up to a sitting position.

"Daphne, are you all right?" she craned her neck and saw that it was Draco sitting behind her.

She blinked a few times. "What? Why are you calling me that? You know my name."

He just grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

He let her go, and she tried a few practice steps right there in the hallway. When he was satisfied that she could walk without falling, he led her to a small alcove where the two of them were hidden in case anyone was coming out of one of the nearby rooms.

"I called you Daphne just in case my grandparents or Uncle Arion or Fallon came out of their rooms while I was trying to help you up. They're all staying down there." He pointed to a long, straight corridor.

She nodded. "Of course they are. I knew that."

He eyed her curiously. "I guess the question is, what are _you _doing down here?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know. After I left the sitting room, I went to my room, and I was reading a book and I heard this knock. I went to answer it and there was Fallon standing on the other side of the door. I didn't really know what to do, so I let him in and he was acting very strangely. He asked me if I was happy and he gave me a white rose, and left without a word. The rose had a piece of paper wound around the stem that had the words 'I am worthy of you' written on it. I think he's trying to hit on me!"

The speech came out in a rush because Draco's expression got angrier and angrier with every word. Before she'd even gotten to the part about the dream, he was looking like he wanted to barge into his cousin's room and strangle him while he slept.

"What happened next?" he asked tightly.

She continued just as fast.

"Then, after he left, I got into bed and tried to get to sleep. When my eyes finally closed, I had a bunch of really bizarre dreams. Fallon was in this particularly weird one where it was all dark and he was really pale and otherworldly-looking and was standing on the drawbridge of this castle. And I was in the dream too, and it seemed like he wanted me to come be with him in the castle, but just before I could get to him in the dream, you woke me up and I was here."

Draco grimaced. "You had a dream about Fallon, and it made you sleepwalk nearly all the way down to his room. All right, you stay right here and don't move."

He got up and left the alcove, striding down the aforementioned corridor to the second to last door on the left side. He put his hand on the middle of it and knocked hard. A few minutes later, a very sleepy and disheveled Arion answered the door.

"Draco? What's the matter at this time of night?"

"Could you get Fallon quickly and the both of you come out here to the alcove for a moment?"

Arion seemed more awake now. "Of course."

He left the room and went and got a somewhat grumpy-looking Fallon and brought him to the alcove where Draco and Hermione were waiting.

"Maybe you should get your parents too," Hermione told him, "you know, just in case."

He nodded. "Will you come with me?"

She nodded and the two of them walked off together.

Lucius and Narcissa proved somewhat harder to awaken and it was a full half an hour before they were all back in the alcove again.

"Now Daphne," Draco said quietly, "tell everyone about what happened tonight."

And she told them all. It was a lot easier this time, maybe because she'd already told the whole thing once.

After she finished, she studied the expressions on everyone's faces. Lucius and Arion looked particularly upset.

"I thought you said that you would control him!" Lucius finally exploded at Arion after a few moments of silence.

"And I thought I had!" Arion yelled back just as loudly.

"It's all right!" Narcissa cried, trying to restore calm. "Arion, just tell Fallon to stop using his magic on Daphne. Fallon, we promise we'll find you a nice girl too, all right? Now, I want everyone to go back to bed!"

And looking extremely put upon, she left them.

Fallon went back to his room, but not before shooting Draco a murderous look.

Draco looked at Hermione one last time. "Will you be all right, or do you want to go back to our rooms with me?"

She shook her head. "No, I think I'll be fine."

Nodding, he left her and went back to his bed. When Hermione turned around, she discovered that Lucius and Arion were gone, but the sound of loud shouting coming from behind a closed door told her where they had gone to.

She quickly but quietly ran to the door and opened it a crack. Then, she heard the two men's voices loud and clear:

"Arion, this is all your fault! First, you corrupt the entire Malfoy line by marrying that _thing_ and creating that monster you call a son, and now, he's making it so that my son doesn't have a future either! You're just lucky Mother loves you more then me."

"Lydia was not a _thing_ Lucius! She was a vampire! And one of the nicest girls I ever met. I admit that Fallon needs a good talking to. I have told him time and time again not to use his vampire powers to get the attention of unwilling girls."

Lucius' voice was cold. "See that you do, Arion, or you and Fallon will be joining your precious Lydia sooner then you think. And that's a promise."


	8. Another Fiance

The next few days passed by without much incident. Lucius and Arion were still not speaking to each other, despite Narcissa's many efforts to get the two of them in a room together.

Hermione decided to owl her parents and everyone at the Burrow about what was going on, seeing as she hadn't written any of them since the day this whole fiasco started.

She borrowed one of the Manor owls, who were used to her presence now, and took it up to her room so she'd have it there after she finished composing the letters to Ron, Harry and her parents.

_Dear Ron, Harry, and everyone at the Burrow:_

_I bet you're wondering about now if I'm all right. I know I haven't been the best correspondent in the world, but what with everything that's been going on around here lately, I haven't really had the time to write._

_I hope you're all sitting down as you read this, because the first thing I want to say is that I'm all right. If you act like the kind of person Malfoy and his family like, they actually aren't that bad._

_All right, you can stop snorting with laughter now. But there is a slight blot on my time. Its Malfoy's cousin Fallon. He's probably the one Malfoy around who we all would hate more then Malfoy himself. He's bad news. His mother was a vampire and even though Malfoy and I are supposed to be engaged, he's been hitting on me._

_But I'll be all right. Malfoy's so territorial with his stuff that I doubt he'll let anything too bad happen to me._

_Hope all of you are having a good summer._

_Love from,_

_Hermione_

She read the letter over and nodded satisfactorily. That was good enough. She took the one owl and tied the letter to its leg and watched as it soared out her open window. As soon as she'd gotten up to close the blinds, a house elf came into her room and informed her that her presence was requested elsewhere in the house.

She got up and followed it, thinking about what she would put in the letter to her parents tomorrow.

The house-elf led her to a large kitchen off the main parlor. At the large table in the middle of the room sat Lucius, Arion, Fallon and Draco all looking daggers at each other.

Hermione cleared her throat to break up the awkward silence, and the four at the table took their eyes away from each other to focus on her.

"Sit there, Daphne," Lucius requested solemnly, indicating a chair next to Draco. She sat quickly and the silence resumed for another moment.

Finally, Hermione stood up from her chair and looked at the four men.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on? Why am _I_ here?"

At that moment, Draco and Fallon's grandmother entered the room. She looked tired and somewhat grouchy as she glared at her sons and grandsons.

"You are here, Daphne, to help me with a problem. Both of my grandsons seem to favor your company, and both of my sons want you as a prospective daughter-in-law. The only way I see to resolve this problem is for you to spend time with both of them and see which one you prefer. You have spent your time here. Tomorrow at dawn, you will leave with Fallon and Arion for their castle just north of here." She narrowed her eyes at both Draco and Lucius, whose eyes were wide with shock.

"And I will hear no complaint from the two of you, either. Lucius, you know Fallon is older then Draco and his choices are limited. Besides, Draco might find someone new while Daphne is away."

After this announcement, she breathed deeply, smiled, and folded her hands in her lap, looking pleased with herself. When she didn't say anything else, everyone else in the room excused themselves and went to their rooms to digest this new information.

"How the hell can she do that?" Draco exploded as soon as he and Hermione got to his room. "My parents are paying you big money! She can't just ship you off to go be with somebody else!"

"Oh, and you seemed really willing to stop her," Hermione shot back. "You could have at least said something, you know. I agreed to be _your _fiancée, not the fiancée of your psychotic half-vampire cousin, who, if he has his way, will have me sucking blood and pregnant by the end of the summer!"

"What? What did you say about Fallon?" Draco was frowning.

Hermione allowed herself to breathe again. "Fallon is half-vampire. His mother was one, and I think that's the bad blood between your uncle and your father, that your uncle corrupted the Malfoy line by allowing Fallon to exist."

Draco's eyes furrowed. "How did you find that out?"

She shrugged. "I heard them yelling at each other about it the night Fallon tried to lure me into his room." Her gaze hardened. "Now, about your grandmother: Why didn't you just tell her no?"

Draco looked at her uneasily. "See, my grandmother is not the kind of person you say no to, no matter what she asks. That's why you're here, in my house. She wanted to see that I was engaged, so we accommodated her."

"What would have happened if you hadn't? Would your father have been disowned?"

Draco shook his head. "No, he would have been killed. My grandmother doesn't stand for any type of disobedience."

"Then what was all the fuming for if you know that you can't do anything about it?"

"I have to get my frustrations out somehow. Now start packing."

Hermione looked at him, startled. "But I don't leave until dawn tomorrow!"

Draco nodded. "But Grandmother will want to help you plan the trip, so you won't have a lot of time."

Grudgingly, Hermione got her stuff out of the dressers and began stacking it in her suitcases until his grandmother called to her about half an hour later.

She went down quickly, not wanting to disappoint, and found herself in Arion and Fallon's company once again. There were two empty seats in the room, one by Arion, and one by Fallon. Thinking quickly, she grabbed one of the seats and placed it in between where the two of them were sitting. That way, she wouldn't antagonize Fallon by following her instincts and snubbing him by sitting next to his father.

The elder Mrs. Malfoy entered shortly afterwards, and they began making the arrangements. Arion kept looking at Hermione apologetically throughout the meeting and it made her feel a bit better about the situation.

That night, her goodbye to Draco and the rest of the Malfoys was surprisingly sincere, and she was actually a little upset that she would be gone the next day before either of them woke up.

At dawn, she was awakened by Arion, who told her to dress quickly.

"There's going to be cold coming in later " he informed her, "and it would be in our best interests to miss it."

The ride the castle was quiet. Fallon made his father put Hermione next to him. She looked at him, and it seemed like he knew something that he shouldn't. I was a feeling that she couldn't shrug off.

Once they were inside, Arion left the two of them to their own devices. Fallon grabbed Hermione by the hand and pulled her to his bedroom, throwing her down on the bed.

"I bet you're wondering why you're here. I knew you would, you liar. But if you cooperate with me, I promise not to tell anyone, and Draco's life will be spared. But just now, I've got two questions for you. One: Where's your ring? And two, why did Draco think that he could say you were Apollo Windham's former girlfriend? Because I know Apollo Windham. We're good friends, and he never dated anyone with your name."


	9. A Dangerous Game

As Fallon stared at her, Hermione looked wildly around the room for inspiration. What could she tell him to calm him down? there wasn't much, short of the truth.

Finally, he shook her impatiently. "Well? Out with it, then!"

And she couldn't say anything. She just lay there on the bed staring up at him like a deer caught in headlights.

He nodded. "Of course. I knew you wouldn't say anything. Too attached to my cousin to even think about letting any of his secrets go. I could force you, you know."

Hermione finally made herself sit up. "It's not that. You just surprised me, that's all. I'd be more then happy to tell you anything you want."

Fallon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Really? _Anything_ I want?"

Hermione nodded, praying that the infant of a plan that was forming in her brain would work.

"All right," he answered, letting her go and beginning to pace around the room. "To start with, my first question: Where's your ring?"

Hermione looked down at her hand with it's bare ring finger, then back at Fallon.

"Well, Draco has the ring at home, and was planning to give it to me on a day when more of the family could be present. He's told me so much about everyone that it's almost like they're my family too."

Fallon, still pacing, nodded. "All right. Second question: Who did Draco really steal you from? I know it wasn't Apollo Windham, because like I said, he's never mentioned dating anyone with your name."

At that moment, he stopped pacing and sat down on the bed, right beside her. Then, he whispered in her ear, "you know it's useless to lie to me, Hermione Granger. I can sense your every thought, every feeling. Now, who did Draco steal you from?"

But at that moment, Arion poked his head in the door to tell Hermione and Fallon what was available for breakfast. Fallon said that neither he nor she would be eating anything, then bade his father come in.

Arion came almost hesitantly, as if somehow he knew what Fallon was about to tell him.

"What is it?" he asked tiredly.

"She's a fake!" Fallon crowed maliciously, pointing at Hermione. "She and Draco were never engaged. Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius hired her to please Grandmother and Grandfather, but she's really just a filthy, common mudblood!"

But Arion didn't respond to Fallon's outburst the way Hermione expected him to.

"So what?" Arion answered quietly, looking straight at his son.

At once, the air seemed to leave Fallon's sails. "What do you mean 'so what?'" he asked incredulously. "Uncle Lucius _lied _to Grandmother and Grandfather! All we have to do is tell them what was done, and then you'll have Uncle Lucius off your back forever!"

Arion sighed warily and shook his head. "Fallon, I won't do it. And even if I was to, I wouldn't use the 'Lucius is trying to corrupt the Malfoy line' offense, because that's already been done."

Fallon frowned. "What do you mean?"

Arion smiled at Hermione. "Would you care to tell my son what you know, Miss Granger?"

She stood up and faced Fallon. "Your father can't use that defense, because he already corrupted the Malfoy line by marrying a vampire and allowing you to exist. It would be hypocrisy. Also, your grandmother doesn't know what your mother was. I heard all of this on the night you tried to lure me to your room, and if you aren't careful, I could let it slip." Then, she winked at Arion so that Fallon couldn't see.

When she turned back to Fallon, she saw that he wasn't pale or sick-looking, or even remotely afraid.

"Father, would you leave us alone, please?" he asked. Arion hesitated, but when Hermione nodded too, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Then, Fallon faced her and smiled a beautiful smile.

"You play a dirty game. And you should know that I happen to like that kind of game. So," he asked silkily, one finger sliding up and down her neck, giving her shivers, "What do you want?"

"What do you mean?" she was finding it hard to speak.

"What do you want me to give you to keep my father and me safe? I can give you anything, you know."

Hermione was gone. She was floating in darkness and knew nothing but Fallon's voice and his touch.

"Kiss me," she said breathlessly.

And he did. It was good, and she knew, somehow, that unless she stayed with Fallon, she'd never feel it again.

When it was over, she looked up at him. "That was nice."

But he didn't say anything. He got up and let her flop back on the pillows and think about what it would feel like if he bit her.

Finally, around noon, he shut the long curtains, blocking out the light, and he and Hermione left his bedroom to join Arion for lunch.

As they sat down to various types of fowl, vegetation, and puddings, Arion seemed more chatty then his son and Hermione combined. He began conversation with a somewhat interesting announcement.

"Fallon, the girls are coming by today. Would you like me to tell them that you aren't going to be available?"

Fallon put down his fork and thought for a moment. As he thought, he looked at Hermione, as if he wanted her opinion on the matter. Finally, he nodded.

"Yes, Father. Tell them I can't make it today. It'll upset them, but I know they are capable of handling disappointment. And you can start with those two."

He gestured out the window with his fork at two very pretty girls who had practically glued themselves to the glass front door and were now staring openly into the kitchen.

As soon as it was taken care of, Arion came back and smiled at them.

"So, what are the two of you planning to do today?"

"I don't know yet," Fallon replied, looking at Hermione. "Any ideas?"

"Well," Hermione thought for a moment, "did I see a pool outside?"

Arion nodded. "Yes you did."

"Well, could we go swimming?"

Fallon nodded, and less then half an hour later, they were in the pool.

"What happened?" Hermione asked Fallon, as she watched him do laps.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he came to tread water beside her.

"I mean, one moment you were about to bite my head off, and the next you wanted to be friends. What happened?"

He smiled and suddenly she felt his hands go up and down the contours of her back.

"Here's the deal, sweetheart: I won't tell your secrets if you won't tell mine.Besides, if I wanted to bite you, I'd pick a much better place then your head."

And as she nodded, he put his lips on hers.


	10. The Dragon in Disguise

Meanwhile, back at the Manor, the three Malfoys were spending practically every waking moment in conference trying to think of some way to get Hermione back. Every so often, one of them would go into Lucius' study where his mother had made office and try to reason with her. But even Draco was having no luck.

"Grandmother, why can't I be the one to decide what goes on with Daphne?" he asked her at tea one afternoon.

But all he got in return was a glare. "You're young, Draco. You have no idea what it's like to have the fate of an entire family on your shoulders. I am doing what I know is best, and if you are smart, this discussion will be over now."

Draco caught Narcissa's eye. "Mother, may I please be excused?"

Narcissa nodded, despite the look her mother-in-law shot her. "Of course you may be excused. In fact, let's meet in the kitchen so we can have a talk."

The two of them stood up and walked back into the house without another word. When they got into the kitchen, they ordered cake and sat down to talk.

"Mother, we need to get Hermione away from Fallon. She told me the real reason why Uncle Arion and Father are fighting, and it has to do with Fallon."

"What is it?" asked Narcissa. This was a piece of information that she was extremely anxious to hear. She was very fond of Arion, and the stupid fight between him and Lucius had gone on for as long as he and she had been married, and maybe even longer then that.

Draco gestured for her to come closer so their heads were almost touching.

"Hermione heard Father and Uncle Arion arguing about it the night Fallon tried to lure her into his room. She says Fallon is half-vampire."

Narcissa sat back looking stupefied. She thought she was prepared for anything that Draco would have told her, but she was obviously wrong.

"Are you sure?" Narcissa whispered back.

"Positive. We have to find some way to get her out. Fallon wants me in trouble with Grandmother, and the one way to be sure Hermione stays with him is to turn her into a vampire. Then she has no other choice but to stay," he said decisively.

Narcissa looked at her son. "Do you have a plan?"

He shook his head angrily. "No, no I don't!"

Narcissa shut her eyes and let herself think. As she watched the random images go through her brain, one suddenly stood out: once, when Draco had been much younger, one of Lucius' co-workers at the Ministry had wanted to bring his young son over to the Manor to have a play date.

At that point, Draco was good with most children, sociable and very out-going, but the other little boy had been shy and unwilling to do anything.

When she had inquired about the boy's behavior, the response she'd gotten back had been very interesting. Apparently, the little boy lacked constant male presence because he spent his days at home with his mother and sisters. The result was that the child feared any sort of outgoing male presence.

Then she had taken Draco into the bathroom to have a talk with him.

"Mummy, why won't that boy play with me?" Draco had asked her, looking wounded. She had put her arms around him and said very calmly, "he hasn't had the same life experience as you. He spends more time with girls then boys, so he feels a little intimidated, that's all."

He'd nodded understandingly. "Can we do anything to make him less 'timidated?"

At this point, she had been hesitant. There was a way, but she knew that it wouldn't make Lucius very happy. But at that moment, Lucius had come into the bathroom looking a bit panicked.

"What is going on in here?" he had asked. "Draco's supposed to be out there entertaining Castor Ollivan's boy! How is it going to look if he finds out that his son had a horrible time?"

"Lucius, there is something we can do to calm the boy down, but I'm somewhat hesitant to do it."

He looked at her impatiently. "Well, what is it?"

"Apparently, the boy is afraid of other boys, so I thought that if I transfigured Draco into a girl, then the boy's mind would be put at ease, and he could finally have some fun."

Lucius had looked at her as if she were crazy, and perhaps she was.

"Narcissa, are you kidding me?"

She shook her head. "No, and it's the only way. Before you say no, remember how much this promotion pays and who it will get you in with."

Lucius looked uneasy for perhaps a few more seconds, then he'd relented.

"All right, but let me make it clear that I am not happy about this at all!"

Draco, eager for a new friend, hadn't objected, and although Narcissa would never admit this to Lucius or anyone else, he had made a pretty decent little girl.

Narcissa finally looked up at her son again, and saw him looking at her curiously.

"Is there something wrong, Mother?"

She shook her head. "I think I have a plan. Remember when you were five and Castor Ollivan's boy came over to play with you?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, he was afraid of boys, wasn't he? And I was a bit too much for him, so you convinced Father to let you transfigure me into a girl-"

All of a sudden, he shook his head vigorously. "No. No, I won't do it."

"I thought you wanted to rescue Hermione."

He pouted. "I do, but is me being turned into a girl the only way for me to achieve it? Can't I do it in a manly way, like gathering up a whole bunch of back up and storming the Castle?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "And how would that look to your uncle? Besides, we don't even know if Fallon's done anything wrong yet. What if everything that's gone on between the two of them has been innocent?"

Draco scoffed. "I stopped giving Fallon the benefit of the doubt a long time ago."

Then he and Narcissa simply looked at each other. When neither of them thought up any other plans, Draco grudgingly agreed that Narcissa's plan was a good idea.

Smiling with triumph, she told him to go to his bedroom and wait for her. Then she went to the cellar and got some ingredients out of the stock.

Draco would need a potion this time around, because the spell would need to last longer. She remembered a spell Severus had taught her while she and Bella and everyone else she knew had been at Hogwarts. They had used it to make trouble for the Gryffindors who stayed at the castle during school holidays.

With a knowing touch, she poured and stirred and poured and stirred until the potion turned to the bubblegum pink she remembered so well. She let it sit for a bit while she went upstairs. After about an hour, she went back down, got a goblet full, and presented it to a nervous looking Draco who had stationed himself in front of a bathroom mirror.

"What is that?" he asked her, looking disgusted.

"This is the potion," Narcissa replied patiently. "It isn't really that bad. It even has a delicious bubblegum taste."

"What's Father going to say?"

She laughed. "He's taken this stuff more times then he cares to admit."

Sighing, Draco shut his eyes tight and plugged his nose as he gulped the potion down. Narcissa watched eagerly as he began to change before her eyes. Finally, when the goblet was empty, she told him that he was allowed to look at his reflection. He was stunned at the change in himself. As soon as she was sure he'd be okay alone, Narcissa left to pen a supposed letter from Arion so her mother-in-law wouldn't question where Draco had gone off to once he left to rescue Hermione from the castle and Fallon's wicked clutches.


	11. A Blessing From Belgium

After Narcissa and Draco let a somewhat aghast Lucius in on their plan to rescue Hermione, Draco left the Manor for the Castle. The weather on the way up was horrible and thanks to the sleet, rain and snow (as well as his new long hair), he got thrown off course several times and arrived off schedule. After parking his broom behind a faraway bush, he stood in front of the Castle, staring up at the turrets and ancient stones and wondered just what was going on inside.

* * *

Inside the Castle, Fallon was in his room congratulating himself on completely conquering the Granger girl. He had known about her almost the second he'd arrived at the Manor. Call it his vampire intuition, but the fact had been good for blackmail, so he really didn't care how he got it. And he'd seen the muggle movies about vampires and they did have one thing right: muggles, especially muggle girls, were susceptible to vampire charms, and this one was no different. She was almost too easy. And the fact that Draco was so scared of Grandmother that he wasn't even bothering to come rescue the girl he was supposedly in love with? Excellent.

Everything was going his way. He looked in the mirror and ran the brush through his hair again, wondering if he should wash it before he and Hermione left to meet his friends. He asked the picture of the disgruntled Wicca by his bed for the time, and she told him, (rather huffily), that it was almost seven P.M. All right, so he didn't have time to wash up. He had just finished pulling on his cloak when he heard a knock at his bedroom door and pretty soon, Hermione entered his room.

"You do know it's almost time for us to go, I assume?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm almost done. The broom is in the courtyard, go get on it and wait for me."

She nodded and left. As she walked to through the kitchen, she noticed something strange: a girl was standing in the yard, staring up at the castle as if debating whether or not to come in. Actually, it wasn't that weird. It was probably just a member of Fallon's little vampire girl fan club. She felt herself tense. She thought Arion had sent them all away. Apparently not.

She watched the girl a bit longer, and then the girl caught her eye, smiled, and started for the door to the kitchen. At that point, Hermione ran for Fallon to do something about the girl.

* * *

Draco knew he had been standing there staring at the castle for a very long time. His feet were starting to tingle and he knew he'd lose circulation to them if he didn't move soon. But he was nervous. They hadn't decided on a name for him, or a background story, and he wasn't good at making up these things. As he watched the kitchen door, he suddenly saw Hermione on the other side. He smiled at her and started towards the door, but before he could even take five steps, she bolted out of his vision. He walked up to the door and pressed his face against the glass. Then, he backed away as Fallon suddenly appeared and approached the door.

He opened it slowly and looked at Draco for a moment before allowing a smile to dance across his face.

"Well, well, well. What brings you here? I know you've been gone, but I didn't know you'd come back."

Draco stared at Fallon. He didn't know what to say. Fallon frowned slightly.

"Veronica, are you all right?"

Draco turned away and went to sit on one of the deck chairs to compose himself.

All right, there is no need to panic, he told himself. Fallon's giving you a cover story. This is good. It saves you from making up something awful.

He stood up, cleared his throat, and grinned back.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just so warm out here." Wow, is that _my_ voice?

"Well, why don't you come inside?" Fallon suggested. "You can tell me all about Belgium."

Draco (or rather Veronica), followed Fallon inside and sat down in the seat that he indicated.

"Well, it was really nice. I tried some new stuff, and met some new people. It was…different."

"How was the prey?"

The _prey_? Veronica must be a vampire, Draco thought.

"The prey was…nice." He got out. "Are you sure it's okay for us to be here like this? I heard from one of the other girls that you're finally thinking of setting down." He was never going to get used to this voice!

Fallon cocked his head. "Sort of. But nothing is official yet. And besides, it's not like I like her. I'm just after her so my dumb cousin and aunt and uncle will get the old heave-ho from my grandmother. And after that, do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to give her to the Clan leader. Then, you and I can have everything."

Fallon was looking at him weirdly now. Almost as if he wanted a snog or something.

As he leaned in, Hermione picked that time to come in from the courtyard.

"Come on Fallon, hurry _up_!" she whined. Draco, although he was a bit horrified at her sudden transformation, couldn't help smiling inside. What would Potty and Weasel say if they could see her now?

But as soon as she laid eyes on him, she stopped talking.

"Who's that?" she asked, her voice icy. "And were you about to kiss her?"

Just as Draco was about to stand up and deny everything, Fallon pushed him back down.

"This is Veronica. Her mom was a friend of my mum's, so we've known each other for awhile. She just came to tell me about her trip to Belgium."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I thought we were meeting your friends."

"We are," Fallon said assuringly, his eyes on Draco. "Just a different friend then I thought. Do you have a problem with that?" he looked directly at her and her face immediately went blank.

"No, that's fine," she answered mechanically. "If you need me, I will be in the parlor." And she turned on her heel and left.

"Is that her?" Veronica-Draco asked.

Fallon nodded. "Yeah, she's a muggle-born. This is almost _too_ easy. Now, I think you should join her in the parlor so that the two of you can get to know one another. After all, if the Clan leader won't take her, she'll be your servant." He grinned wickedly, and Veronica-Draco was glad to have leave of him.

When Veronica-Draco entered the parlor, he saw Hermione lying across a sofa on her stomach with her head buried in a pillow.

"Are you trying to suffocate yourself?"

Hermione looked up at him. "What are you doing here? Come to throw your good fortune in my face? Well, I know you probably know this, but with that harem of his, Fallon could dump any girl at any time, so enjoy your time on top while it lasts."

"Did you?" he asked.

"No," she said sulkily, hitting the pillow.

"I could get you out," he offered.

Hermione sat up. "Won't Fallon know that the two of us are missing?" she asked.

"No, because the two of us won't be gone. You'll go, and I'll stay. I know how to handle him."

Hermione jumped off the couch and ran over and hugged him. "Thank you so much! It's been so hard pretending to be in that stupid trance all the time, and Fallon is so vain he hasn't even picked up that I've been faking it the whole time!"

Draco didn't talk. He just let himself take in the hug. It felt kind of good, no _really_ good. It wasn't that his parents had never hugged him or showed him any sort of affection before, but that was different from this. Was this a love hug?

He smiled to himself. "You're welcome, Daphne."

She pulled away and looked at him, wide-eyed. There were only so many people who knew about Daphne.

"What did you call me?"

He looked at her. "I called you Daphne. If we were at school, I'd call you mudblood, but since we aren't and Pansy's not around, I figure it's not polite." He chuckled.

Hermione's mouth was wide open now. "Draco, is that _you_ under all that hair?"


	12. The Dragon In Danger

It was the first time in her life that Hermione could remember feeling completely stupefied. She watched Draco get off the couch, her mind aghast.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him. "You hate me!"

He snorted a bit. "That assumption might or might not be true. But I've gotten used to having you around and you've grown on me."

"Are you joking?" she asked. "Or do you mean that Daphne's grown on you, but I'm still the despicable mudblood you've known for six years?"

Draco sat down and gazed at her appraisingly. "Look, you can think what you want; because I'm not going to stop you, but just know that your thoughts aren't my words."

Hermione threw a pillow on the carpet and moved to sit on the space of couch that it had occupied so she was facing Draco head-on.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked shortly.

Draco cleared his throat. "Well, I was thinking that-"

At that moment, Fallon came into the parlor and Hermione collapsed back onto the couch looking glassy-eyed. He smiled first at her, then at Draco.

"Veronica, you wouldn't mind staying here by yourself for a few days would you?" When Draco shook his head, Fallon nodded curtly. "Good." He turned to Hermione. "Remember that group of friends I said we were going to see before Veronica arrived? Well, we're going to see them now."

Draco had missed this part, and for the first time, he truly appreciated Fallon's mistaking his identity. "What friends?"

There was that smile again as Fallon looked at him. The wolf-hungry smile. "Oh, you know. The friends at the Clan. Since she and I are going to be married, I thought Gammried might want to see what I'm bringing in."

Draco had heard about the Clan. It was a group of incredibly ruthless vampires who would take muggles from the outside (as well as unsuspecting witches and wizards) and turn them into vampires and then their families would never see them again. From what he remembered hearing from his father, Gammried was the head of the whole operation, and apparently, the Dark Lord wanted the vampires to ally with him against the light and he and Gammried had been making arrangements ever since his return.

"I don't think she should go." It was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and Fallon stared at him.

"Excuse me? Veronica, calm down. Nothing's going to happen…at least not yet. Are you all right?"

Draco struggled for a moment to think of a plausible reason why Fallon shouldn't take Hermione to see his "friends" at the Clan. Beside Fallon, Hermione was giving him looks.

"I think you and I should go first," he finally got out. "I mean, I haven't been there for such a long time, and I remember Gammried telling me that he wanted to hear about my trip the second I got back."

Fallon stared for a moment before smiling good-naturedly. "That's right, he did. I remember. All right. I'll grab provisions and you go outside. And _you_," he glared at Hermione, "you stay here with my father and don't even think about leaving."

He left for the kitchen and as soon as Draco was sure he was gone, he stopped moving towards the door and ran back to her. "I want you to run away from here," he told her intensely, taking her hands in his and kneeling. "I want you to run away from here and never come back."

Hermione was worried by the desperation in his tone. "Why? What's going to happen if I don't?"

Draco turned away from her and looked towards the kitchen. "There's not enough time for me to tell you now, but I _can _say that it's very bad."

"Where should I go?" Hermione asked.

"Go back home," he answered. "If Grandmother asks, tell her you came back to make wedding arrangements or something."

And with that, he ran for the door and Hermione heard it close behind him with a crash like a thunderclap. Fallon followed with the food soon after, and then she was alone in the parlor. But just for a little while.

Arion came in a few minutes later with a sandwich in one hand and a butterbeer in the other. He looked at her curiously. "I thought Fallon was taking you with him to meet some friends?"

Hermione nodded. "He was, but then one of the members of his fan club showed up and he decided to take her instead."

"Which one?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, Veronica or something like that."

Arion cocked an eyebrow. "Not Veronica Regis?"

Hermione shrugged again. "Maybe. I didn't pay much attention to her."

"Well it couldn't be Veronica Regis because I got an owl from her mother yesterday that said she was back from Belgium and that she'd had a good time, but that she wouldn't come around here for a few days because of the time difference."

"What was she going to do instead?"

"Well, Veronica is one of Fallon's vampire girlfriends as you've probably already figured out. I probably shouldn't let him having any vampire association, but he and his mother were awfully close and I've always thought that if I stopped letting him hang around vampires, it would be like taking his mother away from him." He cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, she was apparently going to go see the Clan to tell their leader Gammried about her trip. Apparently, he told her that he was very curious before she left."

Hermione felt herself pale. "Really?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yes." Arion looked at her worriedly. "Are you all right? You look sick. Can I get you anything?"

Hermione nodded. "Could I have a glass of water? It's a little warm in here."

Arion nodded and hurried away, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts.

Draco was in danger. If Veronica was already at Clan's meeting place, Draco would be found out, and who knows what Fallon would do to him then?

She remembered Draco's words exactly: _I want you to run away from here and never come back._

Arion came back with her water after a bit. "Hermione, I'm sorry, but I've just been called in to help with an emergency at work. Will you be all right by yourself? I'm really not sure that I should leave you alone-"

Hermione took a mouthful of water and swallowed it. "No, that's all right. I'll be fine."

He eyed her skeptically. "All right, if you're sure. Don't hesitate to owl if you need anything."

She nodded, and then he turned on his heel and was gone.

As soon as she was sure she was alone, she ran to write an owl to Narcissa, as well as a little one to her parents.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Was the vacation nice? School project just hit major snag so I think that I'll be gone longer then I thought. And I promise to write more._

_Love from,_

_Hermione_

Then she sent that one on its way and grabbed two more pieces of parchment. On the first peace she wrote _the message following this one is written in invisible ink._ She set that one down and quickly wrote another message on the second sheet of parchment.

_Narcissa and Lucius,_

_A crisis has happened, and Draco is in horrible danger. When Draco came to get me, (neat disguise by the way; it caught me completely off-guard) Fallon mistook him for a member of his vampire girl fan club named Veronica, who he thought had come back from Belgium and the two of them went to see the Clan so "Veronica" could tell Gammried about her trip. But then I talked to Arion and he told me that the real Veronica was with the Clan already. I'm not exactly sure what will happen to Draco when he gets found out, but I'm certain it won't be pleasant. I'm coming back to the Manor because he told me to. _

_Hermione._

She then wrapped that letter into the first one and went to the Castle's owlry. Arion was a meticulous organizer. He had trained several of the owls to only deliver messages to certain people. She found the owl labeled** Narcissa** and attached the two notes to its leg, then watched it fly off.

Then she ran the cloak closet in the front hallway, and grabbed her cloak off the hook. She put it on and went outside to get on her way.

* * *

Narcissa was almost at the end of her rope. With Lucius at work and Draco and Hermione gone, she was left at home with only her in-laws for company, and that was a barrel of laughs. 

She wondered idly into the kitchen and watched the house-elves make lunch for a little while, but then one of them turned to face her.

"Is Mistress requiring something?" it asked.

Narcissa stated to shake her head, then stopped. "Give me a drink."

The house-elf nodded and poured her a glass of wine that she downed in less then twenty seconds. Then she left the kitchen and went to her and Lucius's bedroom where and owl was waiting for her, perched on the sheets. Narcissa flinched at the thought of what it could be getting on the expensive silk, but then she noticed that the owl had come from the Castle. It was the one that Arion had specifically trained to deliver messages to her.

She took the pieces of parchment off its leg and it flew off. The first message said that the message on the other piece of paper was written in invisible ink.

She went and got her wand and tapped the other message lightly. Then, she read the words and her heart turned icy.

It was from Hermione and it said Draco was in danger. Fallon had taken him to the Clan? But they were working on getting in league with the Dark Lord! She folded the letter and put it in her robe pocket.

Normally, she wouldn't go intrude on Lucius while he was working, but this was an emergency, and she figured that he would want to know what was going on with his son as well. Before she left, she wrote a note to Hermione and told a house-elf to give it to her when she came back.

_Hermione,_

_Thank you so much for your letter. I've gone off to the ministry to alert Lucius, and when we return, the three of us can figure out what to do._

_Narcissa_

Only plot is mine!


	13. A Temporary Safety

As Hermione made her way back to the Manor, the beautiful weather did nothing to calm her anxious thoughts. The people at the Burrow would probably want another letter soon, but she couldn't write now; if she did, it was doubtless that this was what she would write about, and she knew that Ron and Harry wouldn't care less, and would probably congratulate her for getting Malfoy in such trouble.

As the broom flew over the countryside, she tried to think about what to do before Lucius and Narcissa got back, so she would at least have _something_ to suggest to them. She grimly bit her lip as she tried not to picture their expressions in her mind. Were they worried? Of course they were. Well, she wasn't quite sure about Lucius, but Narcissa must have some maternal feelings for her son.

Looking into the warm breeze as it caressed her face, it occurred to her that once she got back to the Manor, the two of them would probably be waiting for her. The warm weather was making her a bit drowsy and causing her to dawdle. Mentally slapping herself, she sat up on her broom and directed it in a more direct route to her destination.

* * *

Narcissa had been to the ministry before of course, but it was usually for some beyond boring company dinner or something that required a smile, a few little white lies and a handshake. But this time she was here on a mission, and she felt her heart race with every passing minute. She was nervous as hell about this, and she was a bit ticked off about that because the drink she'd had back at the house had been to calm her nerves and it wasn't doing its job. 

Co-workers of Lucius's walked by her in the hallways and greeted her cordially, but she couldn't spare them any attention. Finally, she found Lucius's area of expertise and the first person she saw wasn't him, but his impish-looking read-headed secretary named Nixie.

She cleared her throat and Nixie quickly looked up from filing her nails and gazed into Narcissa's eyes with the look of a scared rabbit.

"Can I help you?" she squeaked.

Narcissa nodded. "Of course you can, or else I wouldn't be standing here talking to you. Tell me where my husband is. As his secretary, I assume you know?" Narcissa was pleased that although she was so anxious, it didn't show in her voice.

Nixie nodded and began rifling around in a drawer that was full of used Droobles best blowing gum wrappers and random sickles and Knuts among other things.

Finally, she pulled out a pile of papers with torn corners and began shuffling through them.

She picked one out, grabbed her wand and tapped it. Then she looked up at Narcissa.

"What time is it, then?"

Narcissa growled. "A bit after one."

"Oh." She went back to the schedule. "I'm sorry, but he can't see you right now. He and the Minister are in a meeting. The Minister is thinking about getting your husband another promotion. I would ask you to see the Minister's secretary, but she's been off her head for days now. He's saying that we should just hire a replacement."

A thought suddenly crossed Narcissa's mind. She nodded Nixie, and left her. With a teeny bit of a jaunt in her step, she walked to the part of the ministry where the Minister himself went about his business. Nixie wasn't lying when she said that his secretary was off her head. Narcissa spent a good fifteen minutes trying to get an answer out of the woman, but she was no use. Finally, Narcissa just hit her over the head with a large rock she found under the leg of a wobbly chair that was being used to hold it up, and watched as the woman fell out of her chair, unconscious.

Quickly, she shoved her under the desk and matter-of-factly began to undress her, leaving the woman in her slip. Then she carried the clothes to the nearest bathroom, which was close by, and dressed in them.

After she got the robes on, she quickly put a lock charm on the door so that no one could come in and disturb her. Then she turned the faucet on for one of the sinks and stuck her head under. Once her hair was wet but not dripping, she grabbed a hair coloring potion from her purse, and rubbed it in her hair like shampoo. It worked, and immediately her hair went from its blonde to a deep red like Nixie's. Checking herself in the mirror and feeling satisfied, she quickly left the bathroom.

She then walked around until she found the Minister's door and knocked, not timidly, but not rudely either. When the voice of the Minister told her to enter, she did so.

"Who are you?" the Minister asked rather gruffly. "I've never seen you before, and as you can see, I'm in a very important conference, so whatever you have to tell me will have to wait."

Narcissa shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid it can't. I'm your new secretary. I just started a few days ago. A Mrs. Malfoy has just come to me and told me that she needs to see her husband on a very urgent manner. She's waiting for him in the vestibule if it's all right to postpone the talk for a little bit."

Lucius nodded and stood up quickly. The two of them left the room and as soon as the Minister was no longer in sight, he frowned at her.

"Narcissa, what is this about, and why is your hair red?"

"I know I don't usually do this, and it might seem kind of strange, but Draco's rescue mission has gone horribly wrong. Hermione's all right, but Fallon mistook Draco for a member of his vampire fan club, and has taken Draco with him to the Clan to see Gammried. And the worst part of it is that the girl Fallon mistook Draco for is already there."

Lucius put up a hand and Narcissa immediately stopped talking. "Slow down and tell me that again."

* * *

Meanwhile, Fallon and Draco were driving in Fallon's car and Draco kept having to swat at gnats who were trying to bite at his neck, while listening to Fallon drone on and on about all the cool new changes at the Clan hideout. 

"They put in a mall, can you believe it? And there's this place that has advance copies of the latest broom models! And the chocolate shop! Don't get me started on the chocolate shop…"

At that point, Draco felt himself falling asleep. He had dreams about what the Clan was like. Maybe after the visit, he could tell his father about what was going on there and then his father could report it to the Dark Lord. That would be fun.

After what seemed like a mere five minutes, Fallon was tapping him on the shoulder.

"Veronica, wake up, we're here!"

Draco woke up slowly, but at the sight of the awe-inspiring structure in front of him, all remaining traces of sleep disappeared and he shot upright on the seat.

"Is that it?" Draco asked, awestruck.

Fallon nodded, smiling. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Beautiful wasn't the word in Draco's mind. To him, the structure was menacing, or at least imposing, and he highly doubted there was a chocolate shop in it.

It was a very large, dark stone castle on a high mountain top, with yellow lights in the windows. Despite the fact that it was sunny everywhere else, the sky around the castle was full of swirling blood red clouds.

Draco started as Fallon took his hand and led him across a rickety bridge with wooden planks. As soon as they were across, the thunder and lighting started.

"What's with the weird weather?" Draco asked curiously.

"It's just a spell," Fallon said evasively. "It keeps the muggles away. The only reason why you can see it is because you haven't been here in so long."

A few minutes later, they were finally inside the castle and strangely dry.

"What do you want to do first?" Fallon asked.

"The chocolate shop," Draco said immediately.

Fallon smiled. "I thought you'd say that."

He then led Draco into the most colorful room he'd ever been in. It was as if a rainbow had exploded. There was every sort of chocolate in there, in every color you could imagine.

"I'm going to get a box of mint crèmes," Fallon told Draco. "Look around and see what you want."

Draco perused the aisles. He was sorting through sweets on a bottom shelf when someone bumped into him.

He quickly stood up and looked into eyes that were deep blue, like how his eyes looked in the disguise. The girl was tall, blond and slim, and just now bending over to pick up the box of chocolate covered caramels he'd been looking at.

"Sorry I'm so clumsy," she said, her voice was light, and for some reason he recognized it.

"I'm Veronica Regis," she said, handing him the box. "What's your name?"

As he stood there stuttering, she suddenly snapped her fingers. "You're Draco Malfoy, aren't you?"

Draco felt his eyes go wide, and he dropped the box of caramels again.

"Would you be quiet?" he requested as soon as he got his bearings. "I came with Fallon, who thinks I'm you by the way, and if he finds out that I'm me, he'll hand me over to Gammried, and Gammried will have me killed!"

Veronica just smiled mysteriously. "No he won't, because Gammried needs you. Let's go find something to undo that metamorphosis potion, and then I'll explain the situation to you and Fallon."

Draco nodded, but he had one more question. "Why do a bunch of vampires need a chocolate shop in their hideout anyway?"

* * *

Once Narcissa had told Lucius Draco's plight, the two of them left the Ministry and were relieved to find Hermione back at the Manor waiting for them. It seemed like she'd had lots of time to think. 

"Do you have a plan?" Narcissa asked.

And Hermione nodded, looking grim. "Yes, I think I have a plan."


	14. The Real Reason

As a stunned Draco followed Veronica to the rack where Fallon was gazing at the chocolate mint cremes, he kept asking himself how she had recognized him under the spell. From the way his mother had sounded when she first told him about it, it had seemed full proof, but maybe it wasn't up to the spell to do all the work. Maybe he had to take on the personality traits and he hadn't done that.

But honestly, how did one who wasn't a girl act like one? And why was she able to figure out that it was him specifically, and not just some random wizard who had taken the concoction, and was just horrible at acting like a girl?

Just before they reached the mint crème rack, Draco tapped Veronica on the shoulder.

"Didn't you say that you would give me something so that I would stop looking so ridiculous?"

She nodded, and grinned mischievously. "Of course I will, but before we do that, I want to see the look on Fallon's face when he tries to tell us apart."

Draco shook his head vigorously, but she paid no heed and took him by the hand, dragging him the rest of the way.

"By the way," he said, in between tired gasps, because she was eager enough to be running as she pulled him along, "how did you know it was me, and not just some random wizard who took the stuff and failed miserably at being a girl?"

"Oh, that's easy. Who gave you the stuff anyway? Was it your mum?"

Draco nodded mutely.

She smiled. "I thought so. See, the potion works like this: it has the standard recipe, which is how any old person can make it, but then, after you make the general brew, you add something that makes you look like a person of the gender you want to be. It can be anything: hair, sweat, saliva, blood. Your mum must've put something in your batch so you'd look like her."

"How do you know what my mother looks like?"

Veronica looked over to see if any of their conversation had caught Fallon's attention. With his powers, it probably had, but it didn't seem like he was planning on doing anything about it.

She pulled him so that they were eye to eye and whispered "our mums went to Hogwarts together and I've seen pictures."

Draco's eyebrows knitted. "Your mum's a witch?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I don't see her much though." Then suddenly, she snuck another glance at Fallon and seemed to remember what she really wanted with him. Pretty soon, Draco was holding his breath as Veronica and he came to a dead stop in front of his cousin.

"Fallon."

Fallon didn't even bother looking up. "What, Veronica?"

"I got this new robe that I really want you to see. It's that periwinkle one we found that day I convinced you to go shopping with me. You know, the one you said goes so beautifully with my eyes."

Fallon smiled and looked up. Draco barely had time to marvel as his look of delighted anticipation quickly turned into one of confusion as he gazed at what seemed like two copies of the same girl.

"Veronica, did you screw up one of your spells again? Because there seems to be two of you."

The real Veronica stepped forward. "No, I haven't messed up anything, but may I say that you look incredibly adorable when you're confused?"

Fallon blinked and shook his head. "But then, if you're the real Veronica, then who's that?"

Veronica said simply, "your cousin Draco."

Then, she pulled a small vial from her pocket and tipped Draco's chin up, forcing his mouth open as she poured the bitter liquid down his throat.

The stuff was difficult to swallow, but he got it down. For a minute afterward, Fallon looked at him and he looked at Fallon. Then, Fallon jumped him.

The first thing Draco felt was a terrible pain blossoming in his ribs. Then, Fallon's fist connected with his eye. As the two of them rolled around on the floor, Veronica stood there, her eyes wide.

After standing frozen for a few minutes, she dashed off to the other part of the chocolate shop, (which stored sweets other then chocolates,) and came back clutching four boxes of enchanted marshmallow mice. The mice were enchanted to move as if they were alive and were indeed lifelike in their movements. She gingerly picked out the mice one by one and placed them on the exposed skin at the boys' necks.

As she thought they would, as soon as the two boys felt the pitter-patter of little mice feet on their skin, they immediately pulled apart and began trying to get them off of themselves.

"Wow," Veronica laughed out loud. "That was way more entertaining then I thought it would be."

The two boys just glared at her.

"Anyway," she said, whacking Fallon smartly on the back of the head, "what were you thinking attacking him like that? Gammreid won't like it if he gets damaged. At least wait until he gets seen before you start bloodying him up."

Fallon rubbed his head and grimaced. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just take him to the main hall and get it over with."

And Draco followed the two vampires, wondering what he was getting himself into.

* * *

Hermione sat with Narcissa and Lucius in the main kitchen.

"So what is the plan?" Narcissa asked.

"I wrote it down actually, it's kind of complex; I'll go get my notes so you can see what needs to be done."

And she quickly left the two Malfoys to make conversation amongst themselves. As she walked down the hallway to her bedroom muttering the plan to herself, she thought she heard muttering coming from the elder Malfoys' bedroom.

She stopped and stood still, the plan temporarily gone from her mind. Now the words of Draco and Fallon's grandmother were no longer mutterings, but loud and distinct, as if she didn't care who heard the conversation.

"…Yes, my Lord, we have the girl. She and Draco have become very close, so I assure you that there will be no problem with him getting her to the Clan castle."

After that, the sounds of a more cautious someone.

"…No, in fact, Narcissa told me that Draco was at Fallon and Arion's castle right now, so they should be on their way to the Clan castle any time now. Of course some mind control will be necessary, but don't worry. And if Draco should fail, I know Fallon would be more then willing to take charge of her. Don't worry, you will have your sacrifice, and the vampires will be on your side."

Turning on her heel, Hermione ran to the owlry with two thoughts vying for attention in her head: one, the plan she had spent hours making wouldn't be needed, and two, she needed to owl Harry immediately, because it seemed like she was going to be of some use to the Dark Lord, and the Order needed to know about it.


	15. The Dark Lord's Word

As soon as she was able to be calm enough to think rationally, she realized that she hadn't even written the letter yet. She had to do that, obviously. And she had to tell Lucius and Narcissa what was really going on with their son and why she'd even been brought here in the first place.

It was strange. She should feel panicked now, because her life was being threatened by the darkest wizard to ever live, but she couldn't muster the fear, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she couldn't afford to be fearful if she was going to keep her guard up against the mind control that would undoubtedly be used on her to keep her behaving during the sacrifice ceremony. Or maybe it was something different. Maybe she had spent so much time around Harry when he had dealt with stuff like this that she had just learned to deal with it.

She reached her bedroom and threw clothes, jewelry, and other assorted knickknacks out of their hiding places in her pursuit of quill, ink and parchment. She finally found some deep within her school trunk and immediately began penning a letter without even first thinking what she was going to say.

_Dear Ron and Harry,_

_Something incredibly urgent has come up, and it's not just something trivial and stupid like Malfoy being a git. This is serious business, although if you've been reading the papers, you might already know a little something about it._

_I wasn't summoned here to Malfoy Manor because Draco needed a fiancée. His grandparents wrote a letter requesting such because Voldemort needs a sacrifice._

_I bet you're wondering what I mean: I forget if I stated it in my last letter or not, but Malfoy's cousin Fallon is a vampire who has connections with their underground society called the Clan. Now, Voldemort is trying to get the vampires on his side and asked Malfoy's grandparents to get him a girl to sacrifice to the vampire leader Gammried so that the two sides would have a pact against the light._

_In other words, I'm not really Draco's fiancée, thank goodness, but instead, a person lured away by manipulation to be used as an instrument for further destruction of the wizarding world by Voldemort._

_I know this letter probably makes no sense at all, and that my writing is almost too scratchy to be legible, but there really isn't a simple way to explain my current situation. Show this letter to someone responsible as soon as you read it. Then, they can get people together to be reinforcements and stop all this._

_Hermione_

After she finished writing the letter, she blew on it a few quick times, then, praying the ink was dry, she rolled it up and left her room. A few minutes later, she reached the place where the Malfoys kept their owls, immediately finding one that was available. She quickly attached the letter to its leg, too overwrought to do anything about its discontented shriek.

She didn't stay to watch it ascend into the sky as she normally would with a letter. Instead, she turned on her heel as soon as the owl left the sill and ran back down to the parlor where Narcissa and Lucius were still waiting for her.

"Are the plans missing?" asked Narcissa, as the two of them watched her with curiosity.

Hermione looked down at her empty hand as if she had just remembered that she was supposed to have brought something with her. "No, the plans aren't missing. They're still up in my room, but I don't think we'll need them in all honesty."

"Why not?" Lucius eyed her suspiciously, as if she'd forgotten the plans on purpose and was now just being stubborn in not telling them anything.

"Well…" this was the hard part: she didn't know how to tell them about what she'd overheard. She supposed Lucius knew that his parents were in with Voldemort, so that would be a stupid thing to start off with. She bit her lip to help herself think. Finally, she settled for bluntness.

"On my way up to get the plans, I heard something distressing. You probably already know that your houseguests are in with Him, right?"

She quickly shut her eyes, but opened them at the sound of a gasp.

"What?" Narcissa looked at Lucius. "When did this happen?"

He shook his head. "How the hell should I know? I'm their son, not their keeper. Continue, girl."

Amazed at their lack of knowledge, she continued. "Actually," she amended, "It was only his mum I heard talking. I'm not really sure about his dad. Anyway, now He's trying to get an alliance with the vampires. Your parents didn't send you the letter about Draco getting engaged because his time was getting short. They sent it to you so that you would make a girl accessible to your mother to turn in to Him as a sacrifice to give to Gammried, thus sealing their pact against the light."

"That bitch!" Lucius bellowed, and suddenly stood up from the table and stalked off in the direction of his parents' room before Narcissa could stop him.

Narcissa and Hermione were left staring at each other.

"What do you think he wants us to do while he does that?" asked Hermione, staring out the kitchen archway.

"I don't know," replied Narcissa. She rubbed her temples and sank back in the chair. "Draco is with Fallon right now at the Clan Castle. What do you think the other vampires will do to him if he gets found out?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. It depends. They might keep him as a prisoner, or kill him, or pump him for information. It could be anything."

Narcissa nodded and shut her eyes, visions of terrible things happening to Draco dancing behind them.

* * *

Lucius could hardly contain his fury. He wasn't surprised though. His mother was a cold, manipulative sort. Where else could he have learned it so well? But to deceive all of them in such a manner, why, it was almost too much.

And what was his mother thinking, being in league with the Dark Lord? She was far too old for that sort of thing.

He finally found his parents' room, and without so much as a knock, practically exploded into the room, landing hard on the four-poster bed.

When he got his bearings, he looked up, and was stunned to see the Dark Lord sitting across from his mother, who was looking somewhat stunned herself.

"Lucius," asked his master, "do you often enter rooms without so much as an invitation from their occupants?"

Lucius stood up straight, and walked towards them, sinking into a deep bow at his master's feet.

"No, my lord. I must apologize. I had no idea you were here."

"Yes. Take a seat, we have much to discuss. I am sure you are aware, Lucius, of my desire to have the vampires among my ranks for the final battle?"

Lucius nodded. "Yes, my lord."

"Gammried has told me that he will consider it if we give him a sacrifice of a virgin for the festivities at the end of October. This is why your mother sent you the letter regarding a fiancée for your son. The plan is to have him bring the girl here now to establish a level of trust between the two of them so that when the end of October approaches, there should be no trouble with him bringing the girl to the celebration."

Lucius nodded. "My lord, would you like for me to inform Narcissa of this also?"

Voldemort nodded. "Yes. Your mother will be sending reports to me from time to time. If your son fails, your nephew has consented to take over his duties. You both may go now."

And with that, he disappeared, and Lucius and his mother were left staring at one another.

After a minute or so, he finally came back to his senses and went back to join Hermione and Narcissa.

"So," Narcissa asked anxiously as soon as he appeared, "did you talk her out of it?"

He gravely shook his head. "No, Narcissa. Draco has a duty to deliver Hermione to the Clan's celebration at the end of October. This is the Dark Lord's word. There's nothing we can do."


	16. Another to the Castle

Narcissa gazed incredulously at her husband for a moment before hauling him up roughly by the arms.

"Lucius, what the hell is the matter with you? This is your son you're talking about! Where's all the fire and rage I saw a moment ago? This has to do with your mother, doesn't it? Well, you can forget about her, because anyone who puts family in jeopardy for their own personal gain and then doesn't give a damn later is not really worth attention. Do you understand me?"

Lucius gazed around the room then back at his wife. Hermione could clearly see the two emotions playing out on his face. One part of him wanted to keep his oath to the Dark Lord as he had promised so long ago, but the other, to her astonishment, seemed to be worried about his only son's fate and wanting to save him.

Finally, he shut his eyes and breathed deep. "Damn her," he whispered. "Damn her." He opened his eyes and gazed from Narcissa to Hermione.

Neither of them knew what to say, and before they could get out words, Lucius had torn himself roughly from Narcissa's grasp. As soon as she regained her balance, she and Hermione followed Lucius to the front hallway, where he was rapidly pulling out cloaks and other clothes for various types of weather.

Hermione eyed her cloak doubtfully. "It's summer," she said, "so I don't think I'll be needing this."

"Take it," Narcissa said sharply. "Seeing as we have no idea where the Clan's hideout is, we don't know what kind of weather we're going to run into."

After a few more minutes of fighting about details, they were off. As they rode with Narcissa and Lucius in front and Hermione traveling behind them, Narcissa asked Lucius what had changed his mind.

"It was what you said about my mother. I spent every day when I was a boy trying to please her, but now, I guess I need to just face up to the fact that she's a heartless, blood-sucking vulture, and no matter what I do, I'll never be good enough for her. Am I doing this to spite her? I don't know; but what I do know is, that if we don't rescue Draco, my part of the Malfoy line will end with me, and of course we don't want that."

Narcissa shook her head. Just then, Hermione spoke up from behind them. The two of them were shocked, because they had temporarily forgotten her existence.

"If we don't know where the Clan's hideout is, how are we supposed to get there to rescue Draco?"

"We'll stop at Arion's," Narcissa replied over her shoulder. "Fallon's bound to have told him where the hideout is at least once, and the man has a memory like an elephant."

And indeed, not twenty minutes later, they touched down on Arion's lush, meticulously landscaped front yard. After parking their brooms, the three of them walked inside to find Arion sitting at the kitchen table reading the latest issue of the _Daily Prophet_.

When he looked up to see them, he seemed surprised.

"Lucius, Narcissa! To what do I owe the pleasure? And Hermione, as I'm sure you're already aware, Fallon left with one of his other girlfriends on a matter of urgent business, so he's not here."

"That's what we need to speak with you about," answered Narcissa, putting her hand on Lucius's arm when he looked ready to spring at Arion's unconcerned tone.

"Yes, what about it?" Arion looked politely inquiring.

"Well, that 'girl' Fallon took away with him on the urgent business wasn't really a girl at all," Narcissa began.

"It was really Draco in disguise come to rescue me because he thought I was in danger from Fallon," Hermione continued. "Either that or he came for me because he thought that I'd be unhappy here and he wanted to spare me from it."

"And now your mudblood bastard of a son has mine held hostage in the Clan castle where he could possibly come into considerable harm!" Lucius finished angrily.

Arion looked at the three faces, each of them portraying a different emotion for him: Narcissa's look of fear, Hermione's of earnestness and Lucius's of cold, barely leashed hatred. He wanted to believe what they were telling him, but it was just too incredible.

"All right," he said, "tell me one more time and _slowly_ and we just might be able to figure something out."

* * *

At the Burrow, a mail owl arrived incredibly early, but thankfully, someone was up to open the window for it. Harry had had trouble sleeping the previous night, and was now awake and alone in the kitchen.

After taking the letter out of the owl's care, he sent the owl on its way and sat down to read, feeling rather curious because the owl hadn't been from anyone he knew.

He quickly realized that the letter was from Hermione, and this made him feel somewhat relieved, because her last letter had left everyone in a sort of panic at the news that she would be engaged to Malfoy, even if it was just pretend. Maybe this letter was to tell them that the joke was over, and that she would be coming to stay any day now.

But as soon as he finished reading, he knew that wouldn't be possible. Voldemort had been at the Malfoy's house plotting something to get the vampires on his side? That was weird. It hadn't been in the papers, of course, and this was the first time he'd even gotten wind of it.

He took the letter in his hand, running upstairs to his and Ron's room to shake Ron awake.

"Letter from Hermione!" he yelled as soon as Ron was completely conscious. Ron sat up and read the letter himself.

"Bloody hell," Ron said. "Dad'll be up soon. We should show this to him."

Harry shook his head. "We shouldn't wait to show him. Voldemort probably knows by now that Hermione has sent the letter. I'll know about the ritual any day. The Order needs to get to the vampire hideout as soon as possible to stop this."

The boys quickly put on their dressing gowns and went to rouse Mr. Weasley, who woke with a start as soon as he heard the news.

"I agree that we need to get someone over there," he said over his bacon and eggs. "Remus and some others are coming by later. We can set up who will go then."

* * *

Arion stared at Lucius, Narcissa and Hermione in disbelief. "So you're telling me that the girl Fallon took to the Clan hideout was really Draco in disguise to save Hermione from discomfort, Mother is in the league with the Dark Lord, and that the reason Hermione is here is that he needed a sacrifice to give to the vampires and she was the lucky one?"

They nodded. "Draco is to bring her to the hideout on Halloween. If he fails, Fallon is to take over his duties." Narcissa added.

Arion was stunned by this information. He knew that his vampire son did some things that a reasonable person would consider risky, but he didn't believe that things were this bad. He couldn't believe it without proof.

"Take me with you," he said finally. "I know where the hideout is, and I want to actually see if what you claim is true before I believe you."


	17. Found Out

After everyone at the Burrow was fully awake and downstairs for breakfast, Ron asked his father to tell as many people in the house as possible about Hermione's letter, but Mr. Weasley shook his head despite the fact that Ron and Harry's agitation over its contents was obvious.

"But Dad, don't you think that Mum and everyone else will want to know where Hermione's gotten to? The last time they heard from her was the letter she wrote months ago. This is all we've got."

Mr. Weasley finally pulled the letter from his robe pocket and handed it over to his wife.

She read it slowly, and as she read, her face never changed expression. Finally she looked up at Mr. Weasley worriedly. "Do you think she'll be all right? I mean, they haven't had any practical experience with vampires at Hogwarts . Maybe I should send an owl to tell everyone to arrive early so we can get this whole mess sorted out as soon as possible."

Astonishingly, the next sound they heard was a knock at the door. Mr. Weasley jumped up to answer it and came back with Remus Lupin behind him not five minutes later.

Mrs. Weasley looked much relieved at the sight of him. "Hello, Remus. A crisis has risen and we will need a guard. Is there anyone else with you, or are you alone?"

Remus sat down slowly and looked at Mrs. Weasley. "As a matter of fact, Tonks and Moody are with me. He saw some things in that mirror of his that looked suspicious and wanted us to come down here immediately."

Harry didn't have time to marvel over how amazing that concept was. "Remus, this morning, we got another letter from Hermione talking about Voldemort wanting to get the vampires on his side. They said they would, but only if they were given a sacrifice at their yearly Halloween feast. Malfoy didn't really need to be engaged. It was a trick to help the Dark Side get a sacrifice. I was alone in the kitchen earlier this morning when the letter came."

"What letter, boy?" Harry turned around at the sound of the gruff voice and found himself face to face with Moody.

"A letter Hermione sent to the Burrow this morning, sir. Mrs. Weasley's got it if you care to read it." He didn't want to explain the letter again.

Tonks came in as soon as Moody finished the letter and he handed it to her with a curt "read this," as soon as he saw her.

"Well this certainly explains why everyone looks so glum," she said, taking in everyone's less then happy faces. She looked at Remus.

"Sorry it took me so long, I ran into this awful headwind and got stuck for the longest time."

"What are we going to do about Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Well," Tonks said brightly, "does anyone know where the Clan hideout is, for starters?"

* * *

Hermione was just finding that out. She, Narcissa, Lucius and Arion were all on the way there themselves, although Hermione doubted they were going to find the castle anytime soon. Arion's directions were incredibly vague and disjointed, and when Arion had first given them out, that was when Narcissa had decided they would be traveling in a line with Arion taking the lead because any other way would be a ridiculous waste of time. 

Lucuis grudgingly agreed to follow Arion and Hermione took up the rear behind Narcissa.

"We're getting close!" Arion shouted after about three hours of flight time. "Are the three of you having trouble staying on your brooms?"

Hermione was so cold she couldn't even manage to say yes. It wasn't just that she was having trouble. It was getting bloody impossible. Her broom handle felt like it had been covered in ice, and her hands kept slipping off it. Her hair was wet because her cloak hood had fallen off early on in the journey and she was too worried about what would happen to her at this altitude if she lost her balance and fell off the broom.

"Arion, I think we're all having more trouble then necessary," Lucius answered him tightly. "How much longer is this little joyride going to last?"

Arion pretended not to hear his brother's impatience. "Oh, it won't be long now. About another twenty minutes or so."

Despite the roar of wind and snow in her ears, Hermione heard Arion's reply. "Another twenty minutes? I'm hungry, I'm cold, and I think I have frostbite. Isn't there a quicker way we can go so that I don't freeze off any bits of my anatomy?"

Arion shouted back. "No, I'm afraid there isn't. And even if there was, I wouldn't let you go that way. It's nice and warm out. You should take your time and enjoy the scenery. I'm hot. How can you be cold?"

Hermione growled and gripped her broom again. "Listen, I don't know why it is that you're warm and we're all cold, but would you kindly have consideration for the rest of the people in your party and at least _try_ to find a shorter way to the castle?"

From up front, Arion finally relented. "All right. I forgot that there was an enchantment on the way to the castle that stopped muggles and people who didn't belong from entering."

"Why doesn't it do that for you?" Narcissa asked. Arion shook his head. "Now that, my dear Narcissa is something for me to know and you to never find out isn't it?" Despite the strangeness of this reply, Arion was leading them into an area that was much more tolerable to Hermione, Lucius and Narcissa. A few minutes later, Hermione saw the second-most imposing structure she'd ever seen. Hogwarts was the first, but this castle was the Hogwarts castle's well-to-do sibling. It was tall and black with orange lights shining in the windows and thunder raging above it.

Arion showed them where to park their brooms so that they wouldn't be seen and led them inside. At first glance, the castle seemed to be empty, then they heard voices coming from one of the lower floors. Arion put his finger to his lips and the four of them crept to the entryway of a room that looked much like the Great Hall.

Everyone in the room was wearing hooded robes. Hermione shouldered her way closer to the door and accidentally hit a statue of a bat, sending it crashing to the floor. The noise got the chanters attention, and all of them, with the exception of Draco, Fallon, and a tall, regal-looking vampire setting on a throne, jumped up with their teeth bared.

Gammried however, took it in stride. If he hadn't been the leader of a psychotic group of killer vampires, Hermione would have thought he was cute. He was tall and lean with caramel-colored hair and ice blue eyes. He laughed and waved the other vampires down.

"Arion, are you back there?" he asked. He had such a musical voice. It was beautiful to Hermione when she listened to it. Arion stepped into the room, walking over to him.

"Yes, Gammried, I'm here." For some reason, Arion then kneeled down on the floor at Gammried's feet. "I'm sorry it's been so long."

Hermione was confused, but not for long. He's giving us a diversion, she reasoned with herself. She tapped Narcissa on the shoulder.

"This is a diversion," she whispered. "Let's go and see if we can find a back way in there to get Draco out."

Narcissa nodded and the two of them left Lucius watching at the doorway while they went to find an alternative way in.

They finally found one after getting lost three times. The opening was very small though, and the two of them decided that only Hermione would go through because she could fit with less difficulty.

As she got into position, she could hear Gammried talking about the venture that was about to occur and how wonderful it would be for the vampires. She managed to squeeze herself through most of the way when she heard Narcissa mutter, "Your cape's stuck on a stone back here. I don't think I can get it unhooked."

"Who cares!" Hermione whispered back. "I've got others, so just try and shove me through."

It took one really hard shove to send Hermione through the gap. Unfortunately, the sound of the cloak ripping aroused the vampires again, and as she pulled herself up off the floor, she found the room full of them staring at her.

Gammried looked at Fallon. "Fallon, who is that girl?"

Fallon glanced at Hermione momentarily. "That is the girl who will be the sacrifice."

The whole room immediately rose with their teeth bared; they were coming at her quickly. "Don't let her escape!" A short vampire roared.

Hermione wanted to run away, but she was too terrified, and she couldn't open her mouth to call for help either. Suddenly, something heavy hit her in the head from behind and she fell down to the floor unconscious. Afterwards, Fallon, Arion and Gammried approached her fallen body, and Gammried picked her up, looking at the other two.

"You two do realize that the sacrifice was not supposed to see anything until the day of the feast?"

Fallon and Arion fell on their knees and bowed. He continued. "Arion, I know it's been awhile since Lydia was killed, but you must not be so careless." He proffered Hermione's unconscious body at Arion. "Take the girl, and this time, make sure she stays put until the feast. Take young Draco with you. You may go now."


	18. History Repeated, Consequence Unknown

A/n- Fallon was born to vampire Lydia and vampire Arion in 1943, Hermione's great-aunt and grandfather were born in 1934, her great-grandmother in 1916, and wizard Arion was born in 1900 and turned in 1925, meeting Lucius's mother in 1950 and staying with her until 1952. Elder Mrs. Malfoy b. 1930. Dates v. importan

Arion and Fallon walked home in silence, with Fallon draping the unconscious Hermione over his shoulder.

"Why did you reveal yourself now?" Fallon snapped at his father. "You were supposed to wait. And why did you have to bring everyone? Now that Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa saw what you really are, there's no way they're going to trust you."

"On the contrary Fallon, they didn't really see anything of importance. They just saw me reacquaint myself with Gammried. They don't know that I'm a vampire as well. And watch what you're doing. If the girl is damaged in any way, we will pay a serious price."

Fallon shifted his position so that Hermione was no longer slung over his shoulder, and he was carrying her instead. "Are you sure you have any idea of what you're doing?"

Arion nodded impatiently. "As I have told you before, I've done this before, although it was years ago."

Fallon shivered. "It's freezing out here, you know. How much longer until we get home?"

Arion glared at his son for a moment before taking Hermione in his own arms. "If you cannot handle yourself in this cold, I will take the girl. You may fly home." He wasn't surprised when Fallon immediately assumed bat form and took flight, leaving him alone. He looked down into Hermione's face.

"My dear, Fallon is a fool, like I was once. There were dark times before these. Grindelwald's times, before that fool Dumbledore brought an end to him. Right after Gammried became head of the Clan, that was when Grindelwald decided he wanted the Wizarding world at his feet. We were his first choice to help him fight the light.

"So, much like we are now, we had a ceremony at Samhain. The sacrifice that time was a young woman named Lydia Granger. She was a beautiful young woman. And I fell in love with her. On the day of the feast, with everyone watching, Gammried decided that it would be me who would accept the sacrifice. I couldn't do it immediately. I could only stare. Finally, everyone got impatient, and it was Gammried who took the first sips. Then he gave me Lydia's body, and sent me away. Told me not to return until I knew my place and mind again."

Arion didn't know why he was telling this story to an unconscious girl when he hadn't even told Fallon the real reason why his mother disappeared. Maybe it was because this girl reminded him so much of her. He looked up and was shocked to realize that the entire time he had been talking, his feet actually had been moving. He was now standing in a snow-covered field, staring at an old stone inn. He looked down at Hermione. Her lips and fingers were blue and what skin he could see was covered in goosebumps. She was shivering, even in unconsciouness.

He quickly pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her, carrying her at a run to the inn, where he immediately got a room, at least for the evening if not longer.

"Good thing too," the wizened witch at the entrance informed him. "It's supposed to snow awful this evening."

Thanking her briefly, he took Hermione up to the room and laid her down on the bed, leaving the room afterwards to go locate an owl so he could write Fallon and tell him he wouldn't be home for awhile.

* * *

Draco, Lucius and Narcissa rode back to the manor in silence. When they got inside, the house elves took their coats and they went to the parlor where the curtains were open to reveal a beautiful harvest moon.

"Draco, what happened at the castle?" Narcissa asked him.

Draco shrugged. "Nothing much. They just told me about some ceremony that was going to happen at Halloween, and that I was invited and that I should be sure to bring Hermione."

"And did they say anything else? Like, why they wanted you to bring her for instance?"

"No. But why do we even care? Why are we talking about this?"

Narcissa's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean," Draco answered heatedly, "That she is going to die. She is sacrifice that He wants to give to the vampires so they'll join him. Gammried said that Uncle Arion did it years ago for Grindelwald, but I don't see how that's possible."

Narcissa looked confusedly at her husband. "How is it possible?"

Lucius sighed. "I think it's about time I told you the whole truth about Arion. He isn't my brother. He's actually my mother's first husband. He was born a wizard, but all the time my mother knew him, he was a vampire. He disappeared a few years after they married, she never knew where to. When he was proclaimed dead two weeks after he went missing, my mother inherited all his land and money, and went on with her life, marrying my father soon afterwards.

"Upon my graduation from Hogwarts, Arion managed to worm his way back into my mother's life and into mine. My mother let Arion convince my father that he was another son that had been forgotten about, and I was forced to go along with it."

"What was Arion doing all the time he'd been away?" Narcissa asked.

"See," Lucius continued, "that is the whole reason why it was so easy to worm his way back in. For some reason, at that point in time, the vampires just needed him back at the hideout for some reason. Mother still loved Arion for some reason, and I was just the alternative, a reminder of the situation that she didn't want to be in."

"And when did Fallon come along?" Draco asked.

"He was born before Arion met my mother. His mother was a muggle-born I believe, and Arion changed both her and Fallon about the same time. After Fallon's mother's death, that's when he left and went looking for someone else."

Narcissa held up her hand. "Wait. If Arion's not a blood Malfoy, in fact, not a Malfoy at all, then what's all the fighting about him destroying the lineage?"

"Sometimes, the two of us would forget real facts during fights and would just carry on as if we were really brothers. Mother did a really good job drumming falsehoods into my head."

Narcissa turned to Draco. "Tell me honestly, are you really not upset by all of this?"

He took a deep breath. "I guess I am. If you would have asked me last year, it wouldn't have bothered me a bit, but after spending so much time with her, she's grown on me. Not that that is going to leave this house."

Narcissa shook her head. "Of course not. So, did you see what happened to her before we left the castle?"

Draco nodded. "Gammried told Arion and Fallon to take her back to their castle."

* * *

It had been three days since the occupants of the Burrow had read Hermione's letter, and they hadn't been able to do anything about it. Luckily, Dumbledore was supposed to arrive soon.

He arrived late that day, around six.

"What seems to be the trouble?"

Everyone looked at Harry and he went to his room to get Hermione's letter, which he had hidden under his pillow. He brought it down to the kitchen, and handed it to Dumbledore, who read it in a matter of minutes. He then sat down at the table, looking at all the individual faces.

"This is a very interesting letter Miss Granger has sent you," he said slowly. "Very interesting."

"Why, sir?" Harry asked after a few moments.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As you may know from my chocolate frog card Harry, I fought Grindelwald many years ago. As with Voldemort now, Grindelwald tried to get the vampires on his side to help overtake the wizards. They had a ceremony then similar to the one they're having now. The sacrifice from the wizarding world was a young married muggle woman who was a mother of fraternal twins. She was kidnapped while out doing her shopping, I believe. Her name was Lydia Granger. Yes, a relative of our Miss Granger, her great-grandmother, I believe. This is a case of history repeating its self, I hope not for the worse."


	19. An Unusual Request, An Unusual Response

Everyone who was in the kitchen fell silent after Dumbledore's words. Finally, Harry picked the letter up off the table and read it over again.

"I sort of get what you're saying about history repeating itself sir, but I don't quite know what you're getting at."

"Harry," said Dumbledore gently, looking at him and Ron, "I'm sure you've heard about the many spies I have in numerous places. One of them is a witch named Phoebe Hopkirk and she is currently in the position of hostess at an inn near the location of the Clan castle."

"Then sir" asked Tonks hesitantly, "are you saying that you know where the Clan hideout is?"

He nodded. "Yes Nymphadora, I do. But I'm not sure it's advisable for us to go at this point, but to wait instead until nearer the day of the ceremony because," he said, noticing the look of surprise on Ron and Harry's faces, "that will mean that we have less of a chance of getting detected. But I've gotten distracted. Phoebe sent me an owl a few days after you received this letter from Miss Granger telling me that someone matching her description was brought by Arion to the Inn. She was unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. I have a feeling that Arion brought her there to keep an eye on her before the ceremony."

"Why would they need to keep an eye on her?" Ron asked.

Dumbledore gazed around the table with a twinkle in his eye. "I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Malfoy has become fond of her in all the time they've spent together, and does not wish to see her be used in such a manner."

Harry felt his eyes widen. "Excuse me sir, but what got you to that suspicion? You've watched us at Hogwarts, and you know full well what people like the Malfoys think of Muggleborns. I bet he found out what was going to happen to her and then laughed as she was sent to her fate."

Dumbledore put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Is it not possible Harry, that there is someone in Mr. Malfoy's acquaintance whose motives are not so much petty as truly dark? Mr. Malfoy has at least some type of conscience that he's learned, but his cousin Fallon hasn't any. So if Miss Granger were to be in his hands, it could be perilous for her. Don't let a dislike for Mr. Malfoy blind you to the true enemy. He could be the greatest asset we have."

"But what could he _do_?" Ron asked.

Dumbledore just grinned mysteriously. "We must pay him a little visit to find out."

* * *

Draco was in his room, thinking. After telling his parents about what Fallon and Arion were going to do with Hermione, he had come here to ponder about what he could do next. He and his parents couldn't do anything on their own. They would be easily outnumbered if they tried. Could he---no, he couldn't think about doing _that_. It would be a betrayal of everything he'd ever been taught, everything he believed. But still, so had the last month. He never thought that he would need Granger for anything, and yet here he was, trying to save her life. 

It was just as he was thinking this that he heard the tapping on the window. He got up off his bed and went to open it, seeing the school owl on the other side of the pane. He let the animal in, quickly taking the letter off its leg, then letting it rest for a bit before it headed off.

As soon as he opened the letter, he felt a chill, as if someone had dropped an ice cube down his spine. It was from Dumbledore. He couldn't believe the old man was writing to him, and his tone was downright friendly. The letter was saying that he and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix were thinking up a plan to help save Hermione, but that they needed information from him before it could commence. If it was all right with him, Dumbledore and some of the other Order members would meet him at a location chosen by Draco himself where information could be divulged in private.

Malfoy quickly folded up the letter after he finished reading it and went to talk to his parents who were doing some thinking of their own in the dining room.

"Hello, Draco," Narcissa said, smiling at the sight of him. "Your father and I were thinking of heading to Arion's and seeing whether or not we can get any information out of him that way. Do you have any ideas?"

They were both staring at him and his mother was smiling. Draco was sure that they could see the color rising in his cheeks and were going to ask him about it any moment. Finally, he decided just to tell them about the letter.

"Mother, Father, a few minutes ago, I received an owl from Dumbledore a few moments ago. Apparently, he has received word about Hermione, and he and the Order of the Phoenix are going to conduct a rescue mission. But in order for this to occur, they need me to give them information about Fallon and Arion and the Clan hideout." It came out in a rush and he doubted that they'd heard a word he'd said. But it would be too much work to say it all again, so he left the dining room and went back up to his room to write a reply back to Dumbledore, ignoring his mother calling after him.

He grabbed the paper out from underneath his bed and after finding a quill, wrote the reply quickly without much thought.

_Sir,_

_I will tell you what you need to know if you and whoever you plan to bring with you meet me in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks at two o'clock tomorrow._

_Draco Malfoy_

He then grabbed the owl and sent the letter off, wondering as the letter flew away, what he was going to tell his parents when they finally asked for the truth.

* * *

Dumbledore remained at the Burrow overnight once he got the letter from Draco saying that he would be more then willing to share what he knew. 

"I thought you already knew all that was necessary about Arion and Fallon, so what do we need Draco Malfoy for again?" Tonks asked curiously.

"I need him to convince Arion to let us watch Miss Granger until the ceremony. I also need the two of them to do something that will change matters significantly, thus thwarting Voldemort's plans.

"And what is that?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "It isn't something that is talked about often in polite conversation, but let's just say that it will make Miss Granger ineligible to be a sacrifice."

Ron and Harry looked at each other, finally picking up on his meaning, but wondering how it would be carried out, and at the same time, shuddering to themselves.

* * *

Hermione woke up on the clean white sheets and the first thing she saw was Arion watching her from the armchair beside her bed. Her eyes widened. "Where am I, and…what are you? After what I saw back at the hideout, I have to wonder." 

Arion gazed at her for a moment before answering. "I was hoping the little bump to your head would make you forget everything you saw at the hideout. You weren't supposed to see anything before the ceremony you know. But since it seems that you haven't forgotten, I guess I have no choice but to answer your questions. Like Fallon, I am a vampire. I was married to Lucius Malfoy's mother and after the two of us parted, Fallon and I became wanderers, and then she let us back into her life, letting me trick Lucius's father into thinking I was a missing son and Fallon was his nephew. Lucius was ordered to go along with it of course." He looked around. "This is an inn that is located not far from the hideout. I brought you here to rest last night because of the cold. Fallon is coming in a few moments, and then we will go on to our castle together."

As if on cue, the door opened the next moment and Fallon walked into the room. "Speak of the devil," Hermione muttered to herself.

Fallon shot her a dirty look, but said nothing and turned his attention completely on his father. "Is she ready to go yet? I checked you out downstairs."

Arion nodded. "Yes, we probably should get going back home before the situation can get any worse." And with that, Fallon pulled Hermione up from the bed and led her out of the inn with Arion following behind them.


	20. The Midnight Mission

Hermione didn't say anything until she, Fallon and Arion were on the road back to their castle.

"Why are you watching me again?"

Fallon swore as the carriage hit a bump in the road and his head banged against the roof. "I think it should be quite obvious to you why you need to be watched. You already saw way more then you should have at the hideout. Now you must be contained so you don't put the information you possess in the wrong hands."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she gazed at him. "Oh? And who would 'the wrong hands' be?"

Arion grimaced. "Dumbledore of course, and anyone from that damned Order of the Phoenix that he heads."

"_Oh_." Of course, Hermione thought to herself. Of course it's Dumbledore and the Order. They would be a threat to anything even remotely Voldemort-related.

The rest of the ride was silent, and when the carriage finally pulled up to the front of Arion and Fallon's castle and Hermione stepped out of it, she was pleased to discover that the air had warmed considerably and that the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

Without waiting for her two captors to follow, Hermione bounded inside. The atmosphere seemed different this time around. Darker somehow. More foreboding.

Maybe it's because I know that when I leave here the next time, I might not be coming back, Hermione thought. I hope Harry and Ron were able to get my message to Dumbledore or someone else that can help my predicament.

After taking off her coat and sticking it in the front closet, she began to wander around. The last time she'd been here, she hadn't really taken the time to see what was around, but what she saw now was incredibly classy. Glass chandeliers, a grand piano, even really big stained-glass windows.

She eventually found herself in the hallway that had doors lining either side. This was probably the hallway where all the bedrooms were. She might as well choose one while she was thinking about it, after all, neither Fallon nor Arion had said there was a certain one they'd had prepared for her already.

She immediately spotted Fallon and Arion's rooms and did her best to pick a room that was close but not too close, so she could keep her sanity, and there would be no question as to whether or not she was trying to get away.

The door to her chosen room was heavy and it took awhile to pry open, but when Hermione finally did get the door open and looked on the other side, she was extremely surprised to discover the room's contents.

The walls of the room were painted a cheery purple and there were flowers everywhere. The curtains and bedspread were white and trimmed with lace and the comforter of the bed was the same purple that decked the walls.

Hermione was a bit curious as to why such a feminine room was in a residence only occupied by two men she knew for a fact were bachelors. But she was too anxious to look a gift horse in the mouth. She walked into the room and collapsed on the bed. She then sat up and began rooting around in the drawer of the bedside table. She didn't normally snoop in other people's belongings like this, but there was something inside her that told her she should.

The only thing in the drawer was way in the back, and when Hermione took it out, she saw that it was a small red box barely bigger then her fist. She opened the lid, which was resistant on its squeaky hinges. In the lid of the box was a mirror. It was like a tiny jewelry box.

The box opened to three separate shelves. On the first shelf, rolled up, was a heart-shaped locket. Hermione opened it up to find a strand of dark brown hair. Feeling her stomach convulse slightly, Hermione closed the locket up and went down to the next shelf. Nestled inside strands of silk were three small vials full of red liquid. Hermione took one of them out for a closer look and a second later, threw the vial down in horror. The three vials were full of blood!

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Hermione opened the third shelf of the box. Thankfully there was nothing gruesome here, just some pictures. And when Hermione looked at the subject of the tiny photographs, she gasped.

Quickly, she turned one of them around to the back, because there was no way these pictures could be here in this place if the subject was who she thought it was.

And as she saw the name on the back, she felt her heart sink. The name on the back was indeed Lydia Granger.

Just then, there was a step in the doorway, and Hermione looked up to see Fallon and Arion standing on the other side of the door, their pale faces contorted with fury.

"Girl, what are you doing in here? Put that away." Arion's voice was quiet, but it was deadly. "Put it away and forget you ever saw it."

* * *

The next day at two o'clock, Dumbledore, Tonks and Harry left the Burrow and headed for the Three Broomsticks, where they found Malfoy sitting at a table in front of six empty bottles of butterbeer.

"Having a little trouble coming to terms with what you're about to do Draco?" Dumbledore asked calmly, sitting next to him.

Draco looked up from his seventh bottle and nodded, laying it down heavily on the table. Dumbledore was thoughtful.

"The brave often must take risks, and this is a great one. For that I thank you. Now, about what we have called you here for today. We would like you to go to Arion's castle and tell him that you wish to have custody of Miss Granger until the ceremony."

Draco took a final swig from the bottle he held in his hand and looked down at the table as he spoke.

"It won't be that simple. I can't just _tell _him I want to take Granger home with me again. After all, she was at _my _house when she got to the hideout in the first place."

"But everyone deserves a second chance. And from what I know of the Dark Lord, he would wish that something out of the wizarding world remain with wizards as long as possible so that he can get all the use out of it that he can before it's handed over. As well, if the vampires get it before hand, they might take advantage of the opportunity and ask for more later. And that is a risk Voldemort cannot afford at the moment." Dumbledore's voice was definite.

"But what if he goes to Arion with his terms and Arion lies?" Tonks looked at Dumbledore, concerned. "What if Arion says he won't hurt Hermione to keep her where she is and then does it later when we're otherwise occupied?"

"I suggest a midnight mission," Harry spoke up for the first time, looking at Dumbledore then at Malfoy. "Sir, Hermione Granger is one of my best friends, and I don't want to see her hurt under any circumstances."

Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I must admit, I knew you would have some objections when I brought you along, which is one of the reasons I did so. To definitely ensure Miss Granger's cooperation Harry, would you mind accompanying Draco to the castle and assisting with her retrieval?"

Harry and Draco looked at one another uneasily. Dumbledore was asking a big thing of them, but after a moment, they consented. It was decided that they would leave to fetch Hermione at ten p.m. so that they would reach the castle and have her out by midnight. Afterwards, Dumbledore and Tonks left the two boys alone to discuss their retrieval strategy.

* * *

Hermione quickly put the box back in the drawer, but held the picture out in front of her. "Where did you get this?"

"That's none of your business!" Fallon growled.

Hermione felt her eyes narrow as she slowly placed the picture down beside her on the bed. "Yes it is my business," she said quietly. "The woman in that picture is my great-grandmother. Now, what is it doing here? And what is all that in the box?"

Her question was greeted by stunned silence. Fallon was looking at his father, his eyes wide.

"She's lying Father! Please tell me she's lying!"

Arion shook his head warily. "I'm afraid she isn't, Fallon." He looked at Hermione. "I was hoping you'd never find out about that box. The blood and the hair also belong to Lydia. We were married at one point and Fallon is the product of our union.

"See, Lydia was the sacrifice in the ceremony for Grindelwald. We kidnapped her from a muggle shopping market because we thought it would be a good idea, you know, spread the terror."

"But my great-grandmother wasn't a virgin," Hermione said curiously. "I thought the sacrifice for the Samhain ceremony had to be a virgin."

Arion sighed. "That rule was put in after the fiasco Grindelwald's ceremony turned out to be. Before that, there were no rules. You could just take whoever struck your fancy."

Now Hermione was looking at Fallon. "So he's my great-uncle technically?" she asked, smiling grimly at the pained look on Fallon's face.

Arion's face was blank as he nodded. "You could say that I suppose. Now, we need to take you to your room."

Hermione shook her head vigorously. "Can't I stay here?" she asked.

Arion shook his head. "No, you've heard far too much already. Come along now."

* * *

At ten o'clock that night, Harry and Draco met outside the Hog's head. Each carried a broom and they headed behind the bar to mount them.

Once they were in the air with Draco leading, Harry whispered, "are you sure you know where you're going?"

Although he couldn't see it ahead of him, Draco nodded. "Of course I know where we're going Potter! I've only been there multiple times."

"I wasn't trying to be critical, so don't be such a git. I was just thinking that since it was dark and all, you might have a bit of trouble navigating."

But Harry needn't have worried because the two boys arrived at the castle right on schedule. It took them awhile to find Hermione's room, but when they did find it, they each took a side of her window and knocked, not too loudly, just enough to wake her.

When she opened the window and shone her lighted wand on the two of them, she said in a somewhat aghast voice, "what brings the two of you here?"

And Harry said, "Grab as many things as you can carry. Dumbledore wants us to take you away from here."


	21. The Price of Rescue

Hermione extinguished her wand and hurried back over to her bed, motioning for Draco and Harry to follow.

She sat down heavily and sighed. "I can't really grab anything of mine at the moment because it's downstairs in the front hall closet with my cloak. Arion put it all there after he caught me snooping in the Lady's Room. It's 'punishment' and the two of them are really light sleepers. I got up for a drink of water and they were at the bathroom door with their wands brandished in two minutes flat."

Harry lit his wand so he could get a good look at Hermione's face. "What's the Lady's Room?" he whispered. "Why were you snooping around in a toilet, Hermione?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "The Lady's room was the room Arion's wife occupied before she disappeared."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Did you just say Arion's wife _disappeared?_ I heard that she was killed by the vampires from the Clan after they found out that she ran off with Arion."

Draco shook his head. "No, that was what she told Arion to tell Fallon so that he wouldn't feel resentment after she was gone."

Now Hermione and Harry were both looking at him, eyes wide. "Why did she leave?" Hermione asked, "And where did you hear about this?"

Draco shrugged. "I heard Father and Arion arguing about it years ago. She left because she missed her family. I wonder if she's still around somewhere. Maybe she can give us advice."

Hermione suddenly stood up. "That's it!" she yelled. Harry pushed her back down and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Quiet! Do you want us to be heard? If we get caught we'll never get out of here. Do you understand?" Draco hissed. Hermione nodded.

"Good. Now if Potter lets you go, do you absolutely promise not to say a word until one of us says talking is all right?"

Hermione nodded again and Harry released her. She stood up slowly and walked over to her bed, tucking herself in. "Harry hide! I think Fallon and/or Arion are coming!"

"I wonder whose fault that is." Harry grumbled, but he ducked under the bed just the same. Draco hopped out the window and made it seem like he was just coming in. Not five minutes later, Hermione was proven correct when Fallon poked his head in the door. His hair was a mess; his eyes were half-open, and his night clothes were ruffled. Immediately, his gaze focused on Hermione, and she expected a lecture of some sort about noise level or not trying to escape. Instead, at the sight of her, Fallon's eyes lit up.

"Mama!" he cried in a high voice, "You came back!" He ran toward Hermione, arms outstretched as if he wanted to hug her. Fortunately, Hermione wasn't asleep yet so she was still well on her guard and was able to get out of the range of Fallon's arms. Unfortunately, the method with which she accomplished getting out of range was leaning further away from Fallon the closer he got to her, which resulted in her falling off the bed and hitting the floor with a muffled _umph_.

Fallon heard it and ran to her side. "Are you all right, Mama?" he asked, helping her up. Hermione looked at him and nodded. "Yes Fallon, I'm fine." Then she turned away from him to look at Draco, urgently mouthing "what should I do now?" at him.

Draco, for his part, was trying very hard not to laugh and not succeeding at all.

The next moment, the door opened again. It was Arion.

"Is everything okay in here?" he asked. "I thought I heard crashes."

Fallon jumped up from Hermione's bed, holding her hand and grinning as if Christmas had come early.

"Look Papa!" he crowed. "Mama came back!" Fallon then began to hug her and was in the process of giving her a kiss when suddenly his body movements changed. He looked at Hermione as if he were truly seeing her for the first time. His eyes widened in horror as he shoved her away and stood up, scrubbing his mouth with his hand. Then he looked at his father. "How did I get here?"

Arion cleared his throat. "You were sleepwalking again. Did you dream about your mother tonight?"

Fallon nodded and Arion grimaced. "I shouldn't have told you about what really happened with your mother, but I thought you could handle it."

As Hermione watched this conversation, she saw Harry squirming under her bed uncomfortably. And no wonder, the bed was very low to the ground. She looked at Draco again who gestured at Arion meaningfully, mouthing "talk to him."

She cleared her throat. "Arion, I'm all right, really, I just got a little shock, that's all."

Finally, Arion looked at her. "What kind of shock?" Then he saw Draco perched on the window sill. "What brings you here, Draco?"

"Dark Lord's orders, Arion. He wanted me to check on the sacrifice, make sure she was in good condition," answered Draco without missing a beat.

Arion nodded satisfactorily. "I see no harm in that. Well, since everything here seems to be in order, Fallon and I will be going back to bed."

As soon as the door closed behind the pair, the three teenagers breathed a sigh of relief as Draco vaulted back into the room and Harry pulled himself out from under the bed.

"That was close," Harry whispered.

"Yeah," Hermione nodded. "A little too close. I think I'll stay here while the two of you get my things.

"Good idea," Draco nodded approvingly. "You stay here and pretend you're asleep just in case Arion or Fallon happens by to check on you again. Potter and I will go downstairs and get your things." And the two of them were gone before Hermione could say another word. She sighed and got herself deeper in the covers. Maybe she could just try to get a little more sleep before they came back. It sounded like she would have some long days ahead of her.

* * *

Harry and Draco walked so close to one another in the dark and narrow hallways that it was difficult to tell whether they were two beings in the dark, or just one really, really big one.

"How are we supposed to get downstairs to get her things without being noticed?" Harry asked.

Draco put out a hand, nearly causing Harry to topple down the staircase. "Shut up, I'm trying to think. There's got to be a secret passage around here somewhere that will take us straight to the front hall so we don't have to worry about stumbling around in the dark like disoriented garden gnomes." The two of them were silent after that. They continued walking, Draco navigating the castle's dark twists and turns as if he knew them like the back of his own hand.

Finally, they managed to find one and gathered Hermione's things without much trouble, then shrinking them and hurrying back to her room.

* * *

She sat up as soon as they entered. "No more interruptions," she whispered cheerfully.

"Good," Draco nodded. "Now get into your robe. I grabbed a spare broom for you on the way here."

Hermione nodded and stepped into her closet, quickly exchanging her borrowed nightgown for one of her school robes.

When she was dressed, the three of them got up in the air with all of Hermione's shrunken belongings tucked neatly into her schoolbag.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked from her place behind Draco.

"We're going to see if we can find your great-grandmother," he answered. "Do you remember where she used to live?"

"I think so," Hermione replied. "So, why did Dumbledore want you to take me away?"

"Because he knows a way to save you from being sacrificed."

Hermione gasped. "Really? But the only way to save me would be to make it so I wasn't---oh, no! Please tell me he's not thinking about saving me _that _way."

Draco grimly bit his lip. "I'm afraid he is."

Her eyes widened. "If you wouldn't mind telling me, who did he want to, um, you know, "

"Me,"

Hermione nearly fell off her broom. "You can't be serious!" she cried, breathing hard. "You and me? Doing that? You are so lucky that we are on brooms right now so I can't slug you!"

Draco nodded. "I know. That is why we are having this conversation now instead of when we land."


	22. A Fate Worse Then Death

After Draco's announcement of the plan to save her life, Hermione was too angry to speak to him anymore, so she decided to take out her frustrations on Harry instead.

"I can't believe you're taking this so calmly," she growled at Harry as they flew over various bits of countryside. They no longer had to fly in formation as they were out of range of the Clan hideout.

"Believe me," Harry countered, "when Dumbledore first told Ron and I what Malfoy was going to have to do to you, we weren't that happy about it."

"And now you are? What in the world is going on?" Hermione huffed.

"We aren't happy about it, okay?" Harry was starting to lose his patience and his tone was getting a bit short. "We're just at the point where all we can do is trust Dumbledore. He's all we've got at this point. Would you rather be dead?"

Hermione stopped for a moment and sat up straighter on her broom, trying to think of a logical argument to Harry's very good reasoning. Finally she sighed.

"All right, I guess it's not your fault. Where do we go now?"

"Dumbledore wants us to stop at Weasley's house before we head off," Draco answered.

"Shut up!" Hermione snapped. "I wasn't aware that I was asking you. I'm pretty sure I was asking Harry."

Draco just rolled his eyes and turned them back on the horizon.

The sun was just coming up when Hermione and Harry spotted the Burrow ahead and told Draco to land. The three weary travelers parked their brooms at the side of the house and hurried indoors.

Dumbledore was there to greet them, smiling broadly.

"Miss Granger, hello! You look a bit discontented, so can I safely assume that Mr. Malfoy has informed you, as per my instructions, of the plan to save your life?"

Hermione nodded before collapsing into one of the chairs at the breakfast table. She stared down at it for a few minutes while Mrs. Weasley piled bacon, eggs and sausage on to her plate. Finally, she seemed to explode.

"WHY!" she yelled. "WHY does it have to be Malfoy? Why can't it be one of the boys from Gryffindor that I actually _like_?"

Upon hearing this statement, Ron choked on the piece of toast he was chewing and George had to whack him smartly on the back a few times before he could eat again.

"It can't be one of the Gryffindor boys for many reasons, among them that the average Gryffindor boy doesn't have ties to the vampires and-"

"Sir excuse me, but I think I can put it in a more simple light."

"Be my guest," said Dumbledore politely.

Draco continued rather bluntly, "You see Granger, if it was a Gryffindor boy, you'd enjoy it. And this sex isn't for pleasure; it's to save your life."

At that, the whole dining room went quiet. Everyone stared at each other until Hermione locked eyes with Draco.

"All right. Okay, that just cleared things up." She looked around the room with a forced grin. "You know what? This has been a really nice visit, but I really think that Draco and I have to be getting on our way."

And before Draco could even breathe, she had him by the arm and was dragging him out the Burrow's front door.

"I don't believe you," she snapped as she dragged him along the sidewalk. "You just had to come out and say it, didn't you? And the fact that you said it out loud where everyone could hear-"she stopped and growled, throwing him to the ground. "I think I'll find Grandmother Lydia's house on my own thank you, I mean, since you'll be providing me with such a noble service in the future, I think you should rest up and not trouble yourself."

"Now you wait just a minute-"Draco got up off the ground and put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. That was the last straw. With her opposite hand, she whacked Draco in the gut and he let go with a yelp. Then, after he'd had a bit of a chance to recover from her first assault, she doubled back and punched him square in the nose. Blood began to spurt from both nostrils and he didn't try to come after her again.

Feeling full of energy, Hermione grabbed one of the brooms and flew off. She felt so free up in the air, and she realized that she'd never truly been on her own in the wizarding world before. But now it was time.

Before she went to search for her great-grandmother's house, she spent some time perusing in Flourish and Blotts to see if she could add to the mountains of magic books she already owned.

Finding nothing, she decided to go to the Three Broomsticks for a quick Butterbeer before setting off again. She drank it slowly, savoring every drop as if it would be her last.

Finally, she got back on the broom, tapping it before takeoff and whispering _espace libre_. Now her broom was invisible and she wouldn't alarm any muggles who might be cloud-watching or taking advantage of the sunny day.

Finding her great-grandmother's house was more difficult then she had originally thought, and so she finally decided to ask the people who would actually know.

She landed on the front lawn of her house and went to knock on the front door. At the sight of her, her mother went crazy.

"Oh my goodness, you're here!" she cried, sweeping Hermione into a bone-breaking hug. "We were getting so worried you know, because you hadn't called or written in the longest time."

Hermione trained her gaze on the television and didn't reply. Finally, her mother cleared her throat. "So, how is the school project coming? Is it finished?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, it'll probably take until school starts again to finish up, so I probably won't be coming home. I'm sorry I forgot to write and I'm sorry I worried you, it's just a really intense project and it ran into some snags. Listen, Mum, I know this is going to seem like a really strange question, especially coming from me, but do you remember where great-grandmother Lydia's house was located?"

Her mother gazed at her, startled. "I never thought you'd ask about that old place. Why do you need to know?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "It's for the project," she said finally. "It's a school wide awareness about muggle-culture and Professor McGonagall asked me if I would bring in some pictures of muggle houses and their addresses so the other children who've not lived in the muggle world can get a little taste of it."

"All right," her mother said slowly. "You know, I was always a bit frightened of Grandmother Lydia's house. It really did look like a place that witches would live in, no offense dear."

"None taken," Hermione said grinning.

"It was a dark and gloomy place," her mother continued, "Full of rats and spiders and the oddest assortment of bric-a-brac."

"Mum, what is the address? Is it still around?"

Her mother nodded. "Oh yes, of course it's still around. Why do you think that your grandfather's gone as much as he is? He's making sure the house he grew up in is still being kept up properly." She quickly wrote down an address on a scrap of paper she found between the couch cushions and handed it to Hermione.

"Here's the address. I would go with you, but I've got another patient in half an hour. Are you sure you'll be all right going there by yourself? I could always call your father and have him go with you."

Hermione shook her head. "No, Mum. I really need to do this alone. I will be fine, I promise." And with that, she closed the door behind her, and got on her broom again.

Now that she had the address, the house itself wasn't hard to find at all, and when Hermione got a good look at the place, she decided that her mother was right. It did look like the sort of place witches would live in. Witches who practiced very dark magic. It was tall and imposing, looking very much like the mansion on the Addams Family. Owls were perched on a tree near by and as soon as she parked her broom, the sky turned dark and it began to rain.

Throwing her hands up over her head, Hermione made a mad dash for the front door, thinking that it would be locked. Strangely though, when she went to twist the handle, the door opened easily, without as much as a creak.

Locking the door behind her, Hermione stepped inside and shed her wet cloak, more then ready to get in front of a fire and dry off.

When she entered the front parlor, a strange feeling came over her. She felt as if she wasn't alone, as if there were someone watching her. She sat on the couch cautiously, removing her shoes and placing them on the floor in front of her. Suddenly a hoarse voice issued from one of the large fireplace chairs.

"Who are you?"

Hermione stood up and carried her shoes toward the fire, remaining silent. The voice repeated. "Girl, answer me. Who are you?"

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said slowly. "My great-grandmother used to live in this house."

Suddenly, the figure in the chair stood up. Long dark hair fell down her back, and her long red robe flowed behind her as she turned around. As their two eyes met, Hermione felt herself gasp.

It was a woman and she was pale as death. Her eyes were a dark brown, but they seemed to glow in the firelight.

"Hermione Granger?" Suddenly, her voice didn't sound as raspy.

"Great-grandmother Lydia?" Hermione was awed. "How are you here? Weren't you a sacrifice to the vampire Clan?"

Lydia nodded. "I was. But the rules were different in those days. The vampires didn't have to kill you. All they had to do was take you. Arion took me. Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I have to ask you something. Right now, there is another Dark Lord that is threatening the wizarding world. Lord Voldemort. He wants another ceremony, and this time, I'm the sacrifice to the vampires. Albus Dumbledore thinks he can get me out of the honor though. But I don't know."

"Do whatever you have to do to save yourself. Being bitten unwillingly is a fate worse then death. And who is this Albus Dumbledore planning to replace you with? The vampires must have blood."

Hermione thought for a moment. "You know, I really don't know."

* * *

As soon as Draco's nose stopped bleeding, Dumbledore summoned him for a meeting.

"Draco, as you can probably guess, a new sacrifice will need to be arranged since we are relieving Miss Granger of her duties. Do you have any ideas?"

Draco thought a moment. He remembered last year, on the train to Hogwarts, he'd been telling Pansy Parkinson all those bogus stories about the stuff the Dark Lord wanted him to do, and she'd believed it all; hung on every word. And if he told her that there was a job she could do for Him and that he, Draco, would be involved as well, she'd jump for joy and accept without hesitation. He looked at Dumbledore and nodded.

"I have an idea sir. How about Pansy Parkinson?"


	23. A Sisterly Affair

Dumbledore motioned for Draco to sit down at the kitchen table after his announcement, casting a spell for a teapot and two teacups. He then sat down himself across from the younger boy and gazed at him.

"You know we can't use Miss Parkinson Draco, no matter how much you might like to see her gone. I will not, under any circumstances, risk the life of one student for the well-being and personal safety of another."

This was not the answer Draco had expected from the old headmaster. All his life, he'd had the man pegged as a muggle-born sympathizer and Gryffindor lover, but apparently, he'd been wrong.

He sat like a stone for a few moments, gazing at the headmaster as if that would make him change his mind. Finally, he spoke.

"All right then, sir. If you won't let Pansy be a sacrifice, who are we going to send the Clan on Halloween? There has to be somebody, otherwise, we will have one very angry group of vampires."

Dumbledore nodded. "I realize that Draco. I just need to think."

As the last embers of the fire burned out, Hermione looked out the window. The sky was beginning to darken. Finally, she turned her eyes to the woman beside her.

"Why is it that you aren't so surprised to see me?"

Lydia laughed bitterly. "Though I can no longer be part of the world, that doesn't mean I don't have ways to access it. I trust you've noticed that my son spends much time away from home?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but Mum says it's because he wants to check up on the house."

Lydia shook her head. "He never came to check up on the house. Only to see me, and tell me what I've been missing."

A thought suddenly struck Hermione. "Is Grandfather a vampire as well? Did you turn him one of the times he was over here?"

Lydia just gazed at her mournfully and shook her head. "No, I would not do that to my son. He was born mortal and mortal he will stay."

Hermione swallowed and said tentatively, "what about Fallon?"

Lydia's eyes narrowed. "That boy," she said, her voice quiet and shaking. "What about him? What do you know?"

Hermione thought about what she should say to Lydia about Fallon, since Lydia seemed to dislike him.

"Well," she said after awhile, "it's kind of complicated to tell you the truth. One of the boys I know at Hogwarts wanted me to come to his house and pretend to be his fiancée because his grandparents were coming and thought he was engaged, but the real reason they wanted me there was because the boy's grandmother was responsible for providing the sacrifice and so the boy and his family were unwittingly duped. Then the grandmother wanted me to get to know his cousin, who turned out to be Fallon, and then I had to move in with he and Arion, and the rest of it is really complicated. I'd explain, but it'd take forever."

"Hermione," Lydia asked, "is the boy who summoned you a Malfoy?"

Hermione hit the chair softly. "How did you know?"

Lydia sighed. "After I left Arion and Fallon to come back here, Arion took up with one Clytemnestra Prewett. I guess he was missing his own kind, wizards I mean, and he took Fallon with him. When Arion left to be with the Clan, Clytemnestra married Ares Malfoy and they went on with their lives. I've heard things about her, and am not surprised she went in the ways of darkness."

"And you've been here all this time?" Hermione asked.

Lydia nodded.

"Why?"

Lydia stood up and walked over to the fire. "I came here to help you."

Harry was standing in the doorway to the attic room, and when he saw Draco coming, he looked at him hopefully. "So, is it done? Do we get to kidnap Pansy Parkinson?"

Draco shook his head. "Of course not. You're a Gryffindor like he was; you should know more then anyone how the members of your own house would react to things like this."

Harry thought for a moment. "Actually, I would think you'd understand my surprise. Our houses never got along and you have to admit that if it were Snape who was choosing the sacrifice, he would pick me in no time flat. He always likes you better then us."

Draco sat down. "I know, but Professor Snape is a teacher, and Dumbledore is headmaster, there is a difference. He still doesn't know who we're going to sacrifice. I told him I didn't have any ideas." He smiled devilishly.

Harry looked skeptical. "If you told him that you didn't have any ideas, then why are you looking at me like that?"

Draco was still smiling. "Maybe I should clarify. When I told Dumbledore I didn't have any ideas, I meant that I didn't have any ideas he'd want to hear."

Harry stood up. "What are you saying?"

Draco laughed then. "I'm saying that as good as the headmaster's intentions are, he isn't always right. I know where Pansy lives; are you coming with me?"

Harry was aghast. "Are you suggesting that we kidnap Pansy Parkinson despite the fact that Dumbledore said we shouldn't? Why? I mean, I don't even think that Pansy is a virgin." He stopped, looking at Draco meaningfully. "Is she?"

Draco snorted. "Of course not. But what the vampires don't know can't hurt them. So are you coming or not?"

Harry sat back down on the bed, shaking his head. "You're crazy."

"All right, suit yourself," Draco said simply, and left the room.

"Help me with what?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Hermione, the vampires already know about you; I have visions and I've seen every move you've made since summer began. I know the vampires saw you, and I know that Gammried knows you're the sacrifice."

"What does that have to do with anything? I mean, they will get another one, so what difference will it make if I get switched with someone else?"

The look in Lydia's eyes was urgent. "By appearing at the Clan hideout that day, you sealed Voldemort's part of the bargain with the vampires. Your presence meant that you were the one that the vampires would get, and that they wouldn't get anyone else. And that was a promise. Going back on it would be a deep betrayal on Voldemort's part. Bringing in another girl to the festival on Samhain would turn the vampires against Voldemort and the rest of the wizarding world, and all hopes for an alliance would be lost."

Hermione closed her eyes. "I don't really understand. Wouldn't no alliance with the vampires be good for the wizarding world because it would mean less power for the Dark Side?"

Lydia shook her head. "You are worth enough to the vampires that to recover your loss, they would have to destroy everyone and everything you hold dear."

When Hermione spoke, her voice was shaky. "How do you know all this?"

Lydia's voice was barely a whisper. "I know because it happened years ago."

"What are you saying?" Hermione asked.

"I'm saying that I wasn't the vampire's first choice as a sacrifice. I was chosen for the unfortunate victim's protection. The girl was the daughter of Grindelwald's first in command. She was also my sister. Father always did love her more then me and hatched a plan one night with some of the other goons. Ariella was his pride and joy; first in her class at Hogwarts, pretty, vivacious. And then there was me. I was a squib. Father cast me out and I married a muggle later."

"But wait, if you have magical blood in you, then how come I'm-"

"There is a spell that is very dark magic. It can zap an entire family. It drained us all of our magical blood, and turned us into muggles. My father was killed the day after the ceremony as was my sister."

Hermione put a hand on Lydia's. "What was your sister like?"

Lydia gazed at her long and hard. "If I show you her picture, you will see why the vampires will have no other sacrifice but you."

Then she left the room, leaving Hermione to her jumbled thoughts.

A few minutes later, Lydia returned with a large gold box that seemed to glow in the room's dim lighting. She rifled through it until she found the photograph she was looking for. She held it out for Hermione to see.

At once, Hermione gasped. It was herself in black and white. Every detail of her face perfectly reproduced. She looked at Lydia.

"See, by having you as a sacrifice, the vampires feel they're gaining what my father deprived them of so many years ago. And if they lose you…"

But Hermione didn't stay to hear more. She ran down the hallway, and Lydia followed. "What are you doing?"

"I think," Hermione said in a rush, "that my replacement is being looked for right now. I need to find an owl so I can send a note to my friends telling them that I cannot be replaced under any circumstances."

"I know where one is," Lydia replied swiftly. "Follow me."

A/n- Sorry for the lack of separation between parts about different people, but the document manager wouldn't let me put lines in my document when I was correcting it. But I will get it fixed eventually!


	24. A Sacrifice No Longer

A sense of urgency choked the air as Hermione followed Lydia into a little-used bedroom. It was dark and the curtains were moldy and moth-eaten. Lydia went over to the window, opened it, and whistled a sharp, high sound. A few minutes later, a handsome tawny gray owl soared through the window. Lydia held out her arm for it, and it landed gracefully, gazing at Hermione out of large amber eyes.

"Hermione, this is Boden, my only constant companion now. Write what you wish to say, and it will be delivered."

Hermione nodded. "All right." She pulled a scrap of parchment out of the old desk, and after blowing off the cobwebs, began to write.

_Harry,_

_Whatever you and Draco are attempting to do to save my life, stop it right now. I know that might seem like an odd request coming from someone who might die for making it, but I found my great-grandmother's house, and Draco was right. Lydia is alive and she told me something very important. At Grindelwald's ceremony all those years ago, it was her sister that was to be the sacrifice to the vampires, not her. Her father was Grindelwald's right-hand man and cheated the vampires out of their rightful prey, substituting Lydia, his squib daughter instead. I've seen a picture of Lydia's sister and she looks so much like me you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it._

_Lydia says that by having me as a sacrifice, the vampires feel that they are gaining what her father cheated them out of years ago, and that if they loose me, horrible things will happen to the wizarding world and everything I love. Last time, Grindelwald performed a dark magic taking away the powers of all my family; who knows what will happen this time? Please don't take an unnecessary chance. It's not that I don't want to be saved. As I write this, I'm absolutely terrified, but I don't want anyone else to be hurt. Please tell Professor Dumbledore and the other members of the Order immediately._

_Hermione_

After she finished writing the letter, Hermione rolled it up and sent it off with Boden. After he'd soared away, Hermione looked away from the window to find Lydia gazing at her intently.

"What is it? Is something the matter?"

Lydia blinked and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. It's just that you do remind me a lot of Ariella."

Hermione put a hand on her arm. "What happened to her after your father and the others made the plan for her release?"

Lydia shrugged. "I really don't know. I never saw her again, to tell you the truth. She was about your age when all the unpleasantness happened."

"So she was much younger then you."

Lydia nodded. "After Father banished me to the woods behind the house, Ariella would sneak out at night and visit me, bring me food from the house. But that was only when she was a child; as she grew older, she began to buy more and more into the lies my father fed her about pureblood superiority and that sort of thing. I think it made for a bit of a rude awakening after he was rendered powerless." She smiled a bitter smile.

Hermione thought a moment. "Do you think she could still be alive?"

**Draco**

Draco landed with a soft thud on the grass in front of Pansy's house. He stashed his broom in a thicket of bushes. Although it was still pitch dark outside, he was taking no chances. He found a handful of pebbles and threw them up at Pansy's window at the side of the house.

A light went on in the room as soon as the pebbles hit the glass, but it took awhile for her to come to the window. Draco wasn't surprised; Pansy had always been slow on the uptake. Finally, she appeared in all her pug-faced glory.

"Draco!" she cried, her voice full of sickening delight. "What are you _doing _here?"

He cleared his throat, forcing himself to speak. "I came to see you. I'm…working."

She smiled. "Working on what? Is it for…_Him_?"

Draco nodded. "In a matter of speaking. I need someone else to come with me and help out. He said you weren't important enough, but I've come to take you anyway."

Pansy clasped her hands together and gazed at him adoringly. "How sweet of you!" she squealed. At that moment, a shout rang out.

"Pansy, who is it? Who is outside?"

Pansy quickly pulled away, but only for a moment. "No one, Father. Just a bird."

Then she disappeared from the window, and before Draco even had time to breathe a sigh of relief, she was bounding towards him, dragging a large trunk behind her.

"What's that for?" he asked irritably. "We aren't going to be very long. The way you packed, it's as if you want me to take you to Paris for a year."

She batted her eyelashes. "Would you do that for me?"

"Get on."

She did so. Draco shrunk her trunk and told her to hold it in her lap. She pouted. "I can't hold anything in my lap, not if I'm going to be holding on to you."

He shoved it at her. "Hold the box," he growled.

"But what if I fall?"

The world will be a much better place, he thought. "You can't fall off this broom unless you try very hard, and I have to concentrate on steering, so I don't think I'll be able to catch you."

Pansy sighed. "All right, but you know, you really aren't a lot of fun."

**Harry**

Harry was awakened from a deep sleep and was astonished to find a dark shape looming at the end of his bed. His hands shaking, he took his wand off the bedside table.

"Lumos," he whispered, and the shape at the end of his bed was shown to be that of an owl holding a letter.

Harry relieved the owl of its burden and lay back on his pillows to read by the light of his wand. By the time he was finished, he was sure that his heart was no longer beating and had to put a hand on his chest to make sure it was. Then he bounded out of bed to wake Ron and make sure he read the letter as well.

"Bloody hell," Ron gasped as soon as he'd finished reading, "can't she just write us _one letter_ that says 'how are you doing, I'm great, and nothing exciting is going on'?"

"Ron," Harry replied, shaking him. "Don't you get what she's saying? We have to get a hold of Malfoy and tell him to send Pansy back where he got her."

"That's rotten luck," Ron commented. "I was rather looking forward to seeing Parkinson get thrown to the wolves."

**Hermione**

Lydia gazed at her thoughtfully. "You know, it is quite possible that she could be alive, I mean, I don't see why not."

At that moment, the sound of a knock registered through the house.

"That's strange," Lydia commented. "I wonder who that could be. No one except my son knows I'm here."

"Someone I know, maybe?" Hermione suggested.

The two of them trekked to the front parlor and Lydia pulled open the large front door. Standing on the other side was someone she never thought she'd see again.

"Arion," she whispered. "Arion, how did you get here? And…how did you find me?"

"Gammried has his ways," Arion answered shortly, stepping inside. "After all, it is his job to keep track of all the vampires in Britain."

Hermione, who had sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs, peeked around it. "What do you want?" she asked sharply.

Arion glared at her. "I don't see why that's your business." He turned his attention back to Lydia. "Gammried wants you to come to the Clan castle. He has a surprise for you."

"I will never go back there!" Lydia whispered venomously.

Arion laughed a beautiful laugh. "But you must. You have been called." And before Lydia could protest anymore, Arion grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out the door.

**Draco**

Pansy looked at him confusedly as Draco parked the broom in front of the Burrow.

"Where are we? What is this hovel?"

"This is Weasley's house," Draco answered curtly.

Pansy's eyes widened. "Are you trying to tell me that Potter's best friend and his family are working for _Him_?"

Draco shook his head. "No, actually, I lured you here so that you could be used as a sacrifice to the vampires from the Wizarding world, thus saving Hermione Granger's life." It was said matter-of-factly.

At that moment, Harry ran out of the house clutching the letter.

"You might want to read this," he cried. He was out of breath and panting when he reached them. As soon as Draco's eyes were averted from her, Pansy began to run, and neither boy tried to stop her.

As soon as he finished reading, Draco locked eyes with Harry. "I'll go bring her back here. You stay."

In less then a minute, he was off, flying through the sky at the speed of someone who had something to lose.

When he arrived at a large house, something told him that this was the place, despite the fact that there had been no directions in Hermione's letter. He bounded up the front steps and knocked.

Awhile later, he turned to see Hermione staring at him from a window. "Come in this way," she called. "The door's too heavy for me to open."

Sighing, he walked over to the open window and vaulted inside. As soon as his feet hit the hardwood floor of the parlor, he gazed up at Hermione.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Her skin was gray and drawn and her eyes were red-rimmed.

"Arion was just here," she said brokenly. "He took Lydia to the Clan castle because he said Gammried had a 'surprise' for her. Draco, we have to go after them!"

"No, hush!" he ordered, putting up a hand. "Are we alone here?"

She nodded.

"Good, then Lydia can wait. We have more important business to attend to."

Hermione was shocked out of her tears. "What more important business could there possibly be?"

Without answering, Draco kissed her on the lips. It was meant to silence her, but it went on and on.

Finally, when it stopped, he picked her up and carried her up the stairs. After that, there were three sounds in the silent house: The slam of a door, the rustle of silk sheets, and a sigh.


	25. Good and Bad Surprises

When Hermione woke up the next morning, she thumped the bed like she normally did, so that the movement and noise would remove the last cobwebs of sleep from her brain.

This time, however, the noise was accompanied by a soft grunt, as if there were another person in her bed that had been disturbed from sleep. She shifted and saw another shape beside her. Curiously, she pulled back the wrinkled cream sheets to reveal a sound asleep (and softly snoring) Draco Malfoy.

Suddenly, what had been done the previous night came back to her in one unpleasant stream.

Groaning, she threw herself out of bed and landed with a soft thud on the carpet. As she landed, her elbow jabbed roughly into the mattress, causing old springs to squeak loudly. This roused Draco, who raised himself up on his elbows and gazed at her through eyes that were half open.

"What's the matter? Are you all right?"

Hermione stood up off the floor and began to pace about the room.

"I don't think I'm all right. Do you realize what we did last night, and what people will say if it gets out?" She went into the bathroom, grabbed a bathrobe off the hook by the shower and threw it at him.

He was wide awake now. "What's this for?" he asked, sitting up.

Hermione breathed sharply. "To cover yourself up with, you brainless git! I have no doubt in my mind that you aren't wearing anything right now."

He studied her. "You do realize you aren't wearing any underwear right now. Because if you do, you are hardly one to talk."

Eyes wide, Hermione ran into the bathroom to check, and sure enough, she saw that he was correct. She left the bathroom with a shaky expression on her face.

"Yeah, well, I may not be wearing any underwear, but at least when I get out of bed, you can't see…_everything_."

His eyebrow quirked. "And who says I don't want to see _everything_…again?"

"Yes, well-"she cleared her throat. "The point is that you did what you came here to do; I'm not a virgin anymore, thank you very much for all your…help."

Draco snorted. "All right, I'm getting up. Turn your back if you don't want to see anything."

Hermione nodded. "I'll go to the kitchen and make breakfast."

"Hermione," he said before she left, "I think you'll want these before you go."

She turned around, and when she saw what he was holding, rushed forward and snatched them away from him, blushing. He'd found her panties.

Being alone in the kitchen gave Hermione time to clear her head. She would make sure that no one heard about what had happened the previous night. Not ever. She found her wand on the coffee table in the living room and set to work making eggs, toast, bacon, the usual sort of fare.

Draco arrived in the kitchen just as she finished setting everything out on the table. "This looks good," he observed, gazing at the spread appreciatively.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you. I thought we'd start with this for now and then I can always make more if we need it.

The pair took seats across from one another and filled their plates.

"By the way," Draco asked as he cut up his eggs, "what were you trying to tell me about Lydia yesterday before I had to so rudely interrupt you?" He speared a piece of egg with his fork and brought it to his lips as he waited for her to speak.

Hermione had to think for a minute about the question. Then she remembered. "Arion came last night and took her to the Clan castle. He said that Gammried and the other vampires had a 'surprise' for her. That's how we got the whole house to ourselves yesterday."

Draco locked eyes with the slightly blackened bacon on his plate. "No wonder the bacon is a bit burned. You were probably distracted. If you want, we can go to the hideout and get her."

This made Hermione feel torn. On the one hand, she really did want to rescue Lydia from Arion and the others, but on the other, she had a feeling that if the vampires caught her at the hideout before she was supposed to be there one more time, they would just kill her right then and there and not wait until the ceremony. Arion would probably do the honors. The thought made her shudder. He hadn't looked at all pleasant last night as he'd taken Lydia.

Finally, she gazed at him. "What do you think? I have a feeling that if the vampires catch me at the hideout, something bad might happen. But I do want to rescue Lydia if at all possible."

He nodded. "That makes sense. I can go myself. After all, I have my cover pretending that I'm working for the Dark Lord. I can just tell Arion that I have information for him."

Hermione slowly put her fork down and gazed at him. She felt as if he'd knocked the wind out of her. "Would you really do that for me?"

"Sure. After all, you did try and save my life." He winked. "Just do me a favor, and never tell anyone at Hogwarts about it."

She nodded, grinning. "Thank you, and don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Not long after he'd left the house, Hermione heard a rap on one of the kitchen windows. She looked out the window and was surprised to see both Hedwig and Pig madly hitting their beaks against the window. She rushed to the window and took off the locks. The two owls quickly soared in through the window and landed on the kitchen table. Each was carrying a letter, and Hermione had no doubt whatsoever that the owls' owners were checking up on her.

I feel popular; she mused to herself as she relieved the owls of their burdens and brought them water. As they drank, she sat in one of the overstuffed chairs to read the letters. First was Ron's.

_Dear Hermione, we were wondering if you were all right. I know this has been a very strange time for you, but I thought you'd like to know that Fred and George got back from their trip to Spain last night. They had a really big order from there, and Mum and Dad thought it would be nice for them to go out and see the world, you know?_

_Anyway, Harry and I told them what has been going on with you, and they want to know if you want them to send anything._

_Write back (and come back) soon!_

_Ron_

Hermione gazed at the letter for a moment, suddenly realizing how little time she'd spent with her two friends. Then, she put the letter beside her to read Harry's.

_Hermione,_

_I'm I right when I ask if you're ineligible now? Everyone around here is worried about you. It seems like such a long time since you were here last. Ron still has a bunch of Charms homework to do and I'll admit I'm not much help._

_I guess the basic message is: Come back soon._

_Harry_

Hermione gazed at the two letters and sighed. It was nice to be needed, but right now, she was needed here.

**Draco**

The sky around the hideout was sunny, so Draco's landing was smooth. He hid his broom in one of the nearby bushes and went to the castle's front doors. He knocked and waited.

It was weird to be here as himself instead of as a girl. He hoped this would work. Finally, a tall and emaciated man answered the door.

"Yes?"

Draco straightened up. "I'm the agent from Lord Voldemort," he said boldly. "He wanted me to come and deliver a message to Arion."

The man stared at him for a moment. Finally, he relented, and Draco was granted permission to go inside.

He was led to a door with the words **Head Meeting Room** on it in big black letters. The tall man knocked and then a sound was heard from inside. Then the door opened a crack.

"Yes, what is it?" a voice issued sharply from the other side.

"An agent from Lord Voldemort, sir. He says he has a message for you."

The door slowly opened to reveal Arion on the other side. He looked at Draco only briefly, and if he was surprised to see him, he didn't let it on.

"Thank you very much," he said to the other vampire, who bowed. "I'll take it from here."

Then, Arion ushered Draco inside. He motioned for him to sit in a large leather chair, then Arion took the one across from it for himself.

"So, what's the message?"

Draco thought a moment, trying to figure out what the message was. "It isn't actually from the Dark Lord," he answered finally. "It's from the sacrifice herself. She wonders if she will be sacrificed alone or with others."

Surprise flashed in Arion's eyes. "What a strange question. However, I will answer it. He got up and motioned for Draco to follow him.

The two walked through the miles and miles of hallway until they came upon a room with a solid gold door. Arion knocked softly.

"Enter."

The voice inside was clear and commanding. Draco recognized it at once. The two men entered the room and immediately fell on their knees.

Gammried looked at them curiously. "Hello Arion, Draco. What brings you here?"

Arion rose in a fluid motion, prompting Draco to follow suit. "Well, Gammried, Draco says the sacrifice wants to know whether she will meet her death alone or with others."

Gammried smiled an evil smile, one that was not quite sane. "An interesting question to be certain." He motioned for Draco to come forward and he did so. He had to crane his neck to make eye contact with Gammried, was still smiling.

"Come with me, you two, and you shall have your answer."

He led Arion and Draco to a little room near the room with the gold door. This new room's door was blood red, and when Gammried opened it, Draco was immediately hit by a wave of scorching heat. Once he got his bearings, Draco peered inside.

The room itself was incredibly dark, but he saw a dim light at the far end. He looked questioningly at the two older men.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on inside!" Gammried sounded eager. Draco proceeded into the room and immediately discovered that in addition to being extremely hot, it was very small and cramped. He could just barely stand all the way straight, and finally, he decided to get down on his hands and knees and crawl. By the time he reached the source of the faint light, he was dirty, sweaty and exhausted. He saw that the light came from a small, enclosed room, almost like a cell. In the cell, he could just make out three people. A man and two women were all huddled together, clutching at one another. Finally, the dim light shone on their faces, and Draco couldn't believe what he saw. One of them was Lydia.

He looked at her sorrow-lined face for another moment before crawling back to the entrance of the dark room where Gammried and Arion were waiting for him.

"So?" Gammried asked as soon as he saw him, "What do you think of the guest room?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. Ignoring Gammried, he looked at Arion. "Why did you take Lydia? And who are the other two?"

Arion said simply, "We aren't barbarians here, Draco. We simply wanted to give Lydia and her father a chance to say goodbye to her sister."


	26. A Last Goodbye

With a shaky breath, Draco locked eyes with Arion. "What did you say? Hermione is _not_ Lydia's sister."

Gammried frowned and shook his head. "No, no you stupid boy. We never though that the new sacrifice was Lydia's sister. I'm saying that the other woman down there with her is her sister, whom we will be sacrificing as well."

Draco's eyes widened. "Why?"

Arion rolled his eyes. "Just for the sake of the holiday. We wanted to do something special so we're eating a bit more this year. Is that so wrong?"

Draco flinched. It was said so casually, but he remembered all too well that they were talking about innocent lives.

"May I go down into the guest room to have a closer look?" he asked nonchalantly.

Gammried nodded. "All right, but don't be too long. Too much outside contact and they begin to get wistful."

Draco nodded curtly and crawled back into the dark room, finding himself looking once again into that tiny room. The edges of the trapdoor that held the three occupants in their prison were raised and Draco lifted them up with a grunt of effort. The door was on hinges and as soon as it was opened, there were gasps from the three occupants.

He quickly sat himself down so that his feet were dangling into the room, and with one quick push, he shoved himself forward and let himself fall, landing graceful and catlike on the cold stone floor of the tiny room.

He gazed around and discovered that his first assumptions of the room were correct. He couldn't stand up, so he got on his knees and crawled over to the bedraggled and frightened trio, all the while trying not to think of the spiders, and roaches that scurried under his fingertips.

The captives seemed stunned at the sight of him, and had looks in their eyes as if he were the only good thing they'd seen in awhile. They sat gazing at one another for a few moments before the girl he didn't know finally spoke to him.

"You're from the outside, aren't you? You don't look like one of them." Her voice was light and childish-sounding. She spoke softly and he had to strain to hear her.

"We don't usually have visitors down here," she continued, "sometimes Beezy comes, but usually we're all alone here."

Draco crawled closer to her. "Who's Beezy?"

The girl smiled. "Beezy is my friend." All of a sudden, there was a loud, horrible squeak and the biggest rat Draco had ever seen scurried into the room. The girl looked at it and smiled. Then she motioned for it to come toward her and she took it in her hands, kissing its head and stroking it. "See?" she said happily, looking at Draco. "Beezy came to visit me! Isn't he cute?" She held the rat out so that its beady red eyes were clearly visible.

Draco finally caught Lydia's eye. "How long has she been down here?"

Lydia smiled grimly. "She's been down here sixty years. Ever since Gammried found out about Arion and me. Father and I are the first people she's seen in all that time. Her memory was erased when they threw her in here so this is all she knows."

Draco nodded, then looked beside her at the man, who was chained to the wall and staring blankly at the rat that his daughter was holding. He cleared his throat and the man started.

"What's going on?" his head suddenly whipped around and his eyes were wide and afraid.

Draco crawled over to him and gazed at him speculatively. "Do you know who you are?"

The man looked at him uncertainly for a moment before his gaze cleared and he nodded. "Yes, I do know who I am, but my poor, sweet Ariella is all but gone. I am Ailbert Dionis."

He paused for a moment and gazed at Draco, as if he expected something of him.

Draco, meanwhile was in deep thought. He'd heard of the Dionis family. They were purebloods all from way back, but they'd disappeared quite suddenly, and now he was pretty sure he knew why.

He nodded quickly and Ailbert sat back looking satisfied. "Have you been down here long?" Draco asked him. Ailbert nodded.

"As soon as my treachery was discovered, I was put here. They don't plan to sacrifice me, but I have a feeling that there's something worse in store."

At that moment, the door to the outer room opened, and they heard the sound of pounding feet.

"Draco! Are you still down here? What's taking so long?"

At the sound of the voices, Ariella gasped involuntarily, releasing Beezy and freezing against the wall as he scurried away into the darkness. Not soon after, Draco had the sense that Arion and Gammried were standing right above them.

"Draco, you need to come out now. You aren't doing them any good. Send word to the sacrifice that she will not be alone and know that you need not return until the ceremony."

"All right, I'm coming." Draco turned away from Ailbert and began to crawl towards the trap door. Before he reached it, however, he turned back and gazed once more at the trio. "I can save you," he whispered. "Wait for me."

Then he called up to Arion and Gammried, who offered their arms to pull him up out of the cell.

Once he was back in the Head Meeting Room, he bid both Arion and Gammried farewell and then flew back to Lydia's house.

When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was Hermione's tight-lipped expression. "Well, where is she? You said you were going to rescue her Draco, and it doesn't look like she's been rescued to me!"

Draco sighed. "Things are more complicated then we originally thought. The vampires aren't just going to sacrifice you at the ceremony, but Ariella as well. To quote Arion, 'Just for the sake of the holiday, we wanted to do something special and eat a little more this year.' The vampires took Lydia so that she could tell her sister goodbye before Ariella was sacrificed."

Hermione gazed at him, stunned. "You mean that Ariella _is _alive?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, and from what I saw and from what her father told me, she's pretty far gone. The vampires wiped her memory when they kidnapped her, so now all she knows is her cold, dank cell, and her best friend Beezy the rat."

Hermione shuddered. "We have to get them out, because that is no kind of life. I'll go write Professor Dumbledore to send reinforcements from the Order to the Clan castle."

Draco shook his head. "Not yet. The safest place for the three of them right now is in that cellar room. The time to call for reinforcements is the day of the ceremony. However, I want you to come with me to have a look at Ariella and her father. We will go back together in half an hours' time. Until then, I want you to think of the best way to smuggle three people out of a castle without anybody noticing."

Hermione nodded, heading back to her room. She took her schoolbag out from under her bed and gently removed Ariella's picture, gazing at it thoughtfully. She knew that the vampires knew of her and Ariella's resemblance. Could she use that to her advantage? Suddenly, a thought struck her. She wanted to save Ariella, and there was only one way to do that.

She hurried out of the room and called out to Draco: "When we get to the castle, I want to stay there. You'll have to come back alone."

Then she found an owl and quickly scribbled on two pieces of parchment:

_I'm sorry, but this is goodbye._

_Love forever,_

_Hermione_

Then, the owls flew to the Burrow and to Ron and Harry.


	27. Betrayal and Punishment

The rain lashed outside, and fell in through the broken old glass on the windows, soaking everyone inside. It was here in the abandoned forest tower that Voldemort had called his Death Eaters to meet. He'd sent Wormtail ahead to tell them all that it was time to have a chat, and now, here they were.

Their master gazed at them, and as he looked around the circle, each of them went cold. None of them spoke, or even moved, except to kiss their master's robe when he passed. They all just remained still. Finally, he turned to face all assembled.

"You all know of my plan to recruit the vampires. I have been in contact with them very frequently of late, and have been hearing some very unusual things."

At this point, he stopped, and came into the center of the circle. He locked eyes with Lucius, Narcissa, and Mrs. Malfoy.

"Lucius, Narcissa, Clytemnestra, come up here."

Without a word, the three obeyed. Voldemort then ordered them to face the others from where they stood near him.

"Now," he began. "Lucius, Narcissa…do you know where your son has been recently?"

Narcissa spoke up immediately. "He's been gone, my lord. He left us awhile back. The note in the dinning room said he was working on a project for school."

Voldemort nodded slowly. "And have you bothered to speak to Arion or Fallon since then?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, my lord," he said quietly.

Voldemort began to pace around the interior of the circle, speaking to the Death Eaters as he did so.

"You all know that I allow only the most elite of you into my ranks, and that all of you are qualified to do the magic that you do to make my mission complete."

Everyone nodded and murmured agreement.

"And since you all know that," Voldemort continued, "can someone please tell me why the Malfoy boy has been sneaking around the Clan castle, claiming to be a messenger of mine, and manipulating our sacrifice? She was perfectly prepared, and then he came and took her away."

There were some gasps of surprise around the circle, and when Voldemort turned around to face the three he'd singled out, they were all as white as paper, and looking extremely frightened.

Voldemort walked over to them and said quietly, "you know what I'm going to have to do, don't you? You will be punished for your carelessness."

And before the three of them could answer, Voldemort had pulled out his wand and muttered a spell as a blinding flash of light exploded in the room. As soon as it had lessened and the others in the room regained their vision, it was discovered that the offenders were no longer in the room.

Voldemort stood over the spot where they'd been and smiled wickedly. "They aren't the first." He looked up at the others suddenly. "But they will be the last."

* * *

When Draco rushed into Hermione's room, he found her sitting serenely at the window, staring out. 

"What exactly do you mean by 'when we get to the castle, I want to stay there, you'll have to come back alone?"

Hermione didn't look away from the window. "Draco, I've got to do it. It's the only way to save Ariella."

Draco sat beside her, trying to be patient. "Yes, but what about _you_? Don't you value your own life?"

Hermione finally turned and gazed at him. "Of course I do. But some things are more important." She put out her hand, and Draco took it.

"What could be more important to you then your life?"

She smiled sadly. "Love is more important, Draco. And the people I love. I've already written to Ron and Harry about what I'm doing, so there's really no turning back now."

Draco released Hermione's hand and stood up. "What about Potter and Weasley? They're your best mates. They'll miss you."

Hermione sighed. "Harry has to take his chances against Voldemort. Why is it so bad that I want to do the same? Why can't you understand?"

Draco growled with frustration. "You can't compare what Potter has to do to save everyone with what you're doing now!"

"Why not?"

Draco pulled her up from sitting so that they were nose to nose. He kept a tight hold on her wrist.

"You can't compare it because what Potter is going to do will perhaps eradicate the Dark Lord completely. All you're doing is temporarily delaying the vampires. Sooner or later, the killing will go on, and you will have died for nothing."

Hermione shook her head. "Don't you think we should be heading back now? I have the plan to smuggle the three of them out of the castle.

Draco turned away, then left the room. "I'll be outside. Hurry along."

Hermione looked after him, shaking her head. It was times like these that made her wish that this whole sacrifice ordeal had happened while she was at the Burrow. Even if they didn't like what she was doing, Harry and Ron would have at least understood why she had to do it.

* * *

"I told you," Ron looked at Harry knowingly as he gazed over Hermione's latest, and so she claimed, last letter. "She can never write us anything cheery."

Harry folded his letter up slowly. "I don't know what this means, but I definitely think that we should show this to someone."

Ron nodded. "When she says 'this is goodbye,' do you think she means forever?"

Harry nodded grimly. "Yes, I think she does."

Ron gulped and put a hand on the bed knob to steady himself. "Mum and Dad are discussing the Order's next plans of action with Dumbledore. Let's go interrupt.

Harry nodded. "I don't know what Hermione is up to, but it doesn't sound good."

* * *

Hermione and Draco arrived at the Clan castle, finding a back entrance and slipping inside.

"Do you remember where they're all being held?" Hermione whispered. Draco nodded. He had a hold on Hermione's hand and the two of them walked one after another in the dark.

"Do you want me to light my wand?" she continued, "Or do you think that would be too risky?"

"We could use some light," Draco answered. "It's black as night in here."

Hermione lit her wand and positioned it so Draco could see ahead of himself.

"I recognize where we are," Draco said finally. "The cell's not far from here."

He began to feel around on the walls and doors with his fingertips, because he remembered that Gammried's gold door felt different then the rest. Finally, he felt the cold smoothness of the throne room entrance.

"I found the entrance to the throne room, Hermione. Dungeon's right next door." He moved a bit to the left and went into the next open space he could find. He almost yelled in triumph as he saw the little light of the dungeon room shining weakly ahead of them.

He quickly let go of Hermione's hand so that she could walk beside him.

"Do you see that light, the one that's a little weak?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes."

"That's the dungeon room, where Lydia, Ariella and their father are being kept. I want you to come down with me, but be careful. There's only room to sit, and when you hit the floor, be quiet."

Although she had no idea what he was talking about, Hermione nodded anyway. He sat at the edge of a tiny lit hole in the back of the room. From inside the hole, she could hear soft gasps. Taking a deep breath, Draco let himself drop into the hole. Hermione quickly followed and did the same.

At that point, she quickly found out what Draco meant by letting herself down softly. She landed on her knees, which she knew would lead to bad bruising, but at the moment, it didn't matter. As soon as she was able to look properly, her eyes gave her a surprise. She noticed three more people piled in a far-off corner, just barely in her vision. She would have thought that Draco had noticed them immediately, but apparently he hadn't. She crawled over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Draco, there's a few new people in here that you might be interested in seeing. Go to the back, behind the crank there and talk to them. Let me worry about my family."

As Draco moved away from Lydia to go where Hermione had instructed him to, Hermione heard him gasp. She gazed at her great-grandmother.

"How long have the new ones been here?"

"They arrived yesterday," Ailbert answered solemnly, when Lydia looked at her blankly. "Quite abruptly actually. They looked as if they'd been through a terrible fright."

"Hermione, this is my father," Lydia said softly. Hermione eyed the man with distaste.

"And this is Beezy the rat," said a quietly cheerful voice. Hermione turned and gasped herself. She turned back to Lydia.

"Is that Ariella?" she asked

Lydia nodded. "She's been down here for ages. It's all she knows. This and that rat."

"If she's been down here for ages, then how come she still looks exactly like me?"

Lydia sighed. "The vampires have some wizards working for them, and one of them found an eternal youth potion. Then, soon afterward, another wizard went out one night and killed a unicorn for its blood. They've been giving her both daily."

Hermione nodded. "I'm going to send you home. I think you've been through enough."

Lydia cast one last wistful glance at her sister before nodding and closing her eyes. Hermione took her hands and the two of them apparated back to Lydia's old house, hugging one another goodbye. Then Hermione went back to the castle dungeon.

She found Draco in the same place, staring at the new arrivals with horror.

"Hermione," he whispered, looking panic-stricken, "what are they doing here? They aren't supposed to be here!"

"Oh, do you know them?" Ailbert had snuck up behind them.

Draco nodded. "Of course I know them. They're my parents and grandmother!"

"Ahhh." Ailbert nodded. "You don't suppose they did something to get themselves here. Something awful, perhaps?"

Draco shook his head. "No, of course not. They wouldn't."

Suddenly, Lucius stirred. He opened his eyes a crack, but didn't sit up. He gazed at Draco and began to mutter in broken sentences.

"You did it…us, in trouble…great danger…betrayal of Dark Lord…death."

Then he shut his eyes. Draco turned back to Ailbert, who had a knowing look in his eyes.

"It seems to me like they've entered my boat. It's nice to have some more betrayers around."

Draco turned to Hermione. "Do you think my parents and grandmother

really got in trouble for betraying the Dark Lord?"

Then, the two heard a noise outside the hole. They crawled back to the entrance hole and pulled each other up and out of it. Once they were on the floor of the dark room and panting for breath, they heard the voice.

"Oh, no young Malfoy. Your parents and grandmother didn't betray me out right. They just neglected to keep a close eye on you and the girl. Now I suppose I'll have to."

A sharp blast sent Hermione and Draco crashing into the wall of the dark room. The pain was sharp as Hermione hit the wall, and she watched Draco slump to the floor, unconscious. Even from here she could see the streams of blood running out of his hair and onto his face and closed eyes. She tried to call out, but her voice echoed in her ears, and as it got quieter and quieter, she slowly faded into unconsciousness herself.

* * *

Harry and Ron brought the notes to Dumbledore, who was having tea in the kitchen. He read them over, then looked at the boys gravely. 

"Harry, Ron, for days now, I've been having very bad feelings about Miss Granger in her current situation. Remus and Kingsley are stopping by later today as are Minerva and a host of others. I wrote to them so they could go with you to fight if my intuition was correct. Now that I've seen I was right, go wait for them. As soon as they get here, don't bother coming back, just leave with them. I'll be there later. Good luck."


	28. One Girl Lost

Draco awoke slowly, sitting up with a moan at the pain that seemed to come from everywhere every time he moved. He blinked a few times and his surroundings slowly went from unrelenting gray to becoming shapes and darkness. He could see figures moving around, their cloaks swishing in the unnatural cold breeze that blew throughout the room. Were they Death Eaters?

He tried to stand up, but immediately, he was pulled back onto the floor by a rope tied nearly taut around his middle. It was hard to take a true breath, but he got air in little spurts. He opened his mouth and called out in a hoarse croak, "where am I? What's happened to us?" While he waited for the figures to answer, he turned his head painfully to the side, and to his dismay, he saw the still unconscious form of Hermione a ways down from him. To his alarm, she didn't seem to be breathing. Her face was pale and there were deep circles under her eyes. He couldn't look away from her.

Finally, one of the cloaked figures approached him and Draco reluctantly averted his gaze to face the man.

"What happened to her?" Draco asked. "Why isn't she breathing?"

The man said nothing but slowly removed his hood, and Draco's eyes widened as he saw the man's face. It was as pale as Hermione's and the man's eyes were sunk so deep in his skull that he seemed to have no eyes at all. His teeth were yellow with an occasional fleck of black, and Draco got full view of them as the man continued to grin like a skeleton.

"You're awake." The man's voice was slow, and seemed to echo strangely in the cavernous room. "We've been wondering when you'd come around. Come with me."

The man held out a bony, almost translucent hand, and Draco swallowed. "I'm tied, remember? You'll have to let me out if you want me to come with you."

The man blinked, momentarily nonplussed, then finally pulled a knife from his pocket, cutting apart Draco's bonds.

"Aren't you going to release her too?" he asked, nodding at Hermione's prone form. "Or is there no need to let her out because she's dead?"

"She lives, but just barely. It was decided upon arrival that she would remain under our control until we have need of her. At that point, the enchantment she's under will be removed. But you will not see her again."

He then became silent, leading Draco through endless white hallways. The air was still cold here, and on either side of him, there were doors with sounds behind them he had no desire to identify. He took another deep breath and spoke to the man.

"We aren't at the Clan Castle anymore, are we?"

The shake of his captor's head was nearly imperceptible. Abruptly, he stopped in front of a fireplace. Beside it was a bag of something that looked like floo powder, only it was in different colors. The taller man stepped to the bag and grabbed a handful of the stuff, throwing it with a jerk into the empty fireplace, which suddenly burst into purple and pearl-colored flames. Draco was so fascinated by their beauty that he leaned forward to get a closer look. At that moment, he felt a tugging motion, as if the flames were urging him closer, drawing him into the fire. Then he felt the warmth, and before he could cry out, he tumbled into the flames and began spinning out of control. The last thing he saw that wasn't a wall of flames was the tall man's stony face.

* * *

As Dumbledore had predicted, Remus and Professor McGonagall appeared at the house around late afternoon along with others, and both looked extremely tense and worried.

"Harry," Remus asked, gazing at him and Ron steadily, "don't you think we should wait for Dumbledore before leaving?"

Harry shook his head. "No, he told me and Ron specifically to leave with everyone once they got here, and then he would meet us later. I promise that's what he said." Ron nodded in agreement.

Remus looked around the room as if someone else would come up with a better answer or else convince the boys that they were mistaken. Finally, when no one else would come forward, he capitulated.

"All right, we'll go. But are you absolutely sure that Dumbledore said he would meet us at the castle?"

Ron nodded. "Our best friend's life is at stake. Do you think we would lie about something like that?"

Remus smiled sadly. "I guess not."

Kingsley led in the brooms from the back shed and they all mounted, pushing off so fast that Ron's broom almost threw him.

"Oy! Some help here?" he cried. Harry turned and saw his friend hanging on to the handle with one hand. Pushing furiously, he guided the broom over and instructed Ron to put his free hand on the broom handle. Once that was firmly in place, Ron hoisted himself upward and was once again safely astride and just a little shaken.

"Do you think you'll be all right now?" Harry asked, surprised that none of the others had noticed and come to help.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. But we might want to get a move on if we want to catch up with the others. We don't know where we're going if you remember."

Harry turned away from Ron and realized that there was no one but the two of them there. The others had gone ahead without them, possibly not realizing about Ron's mishap. The two boys sighed to themselves and started up their brooms once again, hoping that they were going the right way.

They'd been flying east awhile when they saw a figure flying towards them and realized with a start that it was Remus. He was looking very frantic.

"Boys, there you are! I'm so sorry no one realized you got left behind. We found the castle, and we checked it thoroughly multiple times, but I'm sorry to say that Hermione is no longer there. She must have been moved, or maybe she was never there at all. We can't really tell from the looks of things."

* * *

Draco landed abruptly in a room made out of stone, but this one was incredibly toasty and warm. So much so that it made him long to go back into the chilly, dank hallway. As soon as he got his bearings, he stood up and his eyes met those of Voldemort.

"So nice that you could join us for dinner, young Malfoy," he said silkily. "Not even late. I like punctuality in my dinner guests."

He led Draco to a table completely obscured by food. Draco felt wetness around his mouth as he eyed the scrumptious chickens and turkeys, as well as the puddings.

Voldemort motioned for him to sit, and then took the seat across from him. Then, three of the minions came into the room, leading someone along with them. Draco gasped when he got a good look at her face. It was Ariella! But how did she get here?

Voldemort looked at Ariella with a sick expression. Then, he inclined his head at the two goons.

"I must admit, it was a good idea to bring Ariella this evening," he told them. "This way we can get the two of you prepared for the ceremony." The two men laughed. It was menacing.

At that, Draco nearly gagged on a piece of turkey. "Practice the ceremony? But there aren't any vampires present!"

Voldemort turned to face him. "Gammried recently requested that I dispose of her."

At that moment, Ariella let out a horrible, high-pitched giggle. She seemed to be having the time of her life despite the fact that she was about to die. She began to dance around the room, and she almost reached Draco when one of the men grabbed her around the waist and dragged her back with him.

Suddenly, a fire was lit, and the giggling stopped as Ariella became entranced by the flames. The men let her go, and she began her dance again, this time going closer and closer to the flames with every step, until finally, she was engulfed by them. As the flame surrounded her, the giggling continued, until at the last moment, it became a scream of terror.

Eventually, nothing was left in the grate but a pile of ashes and dinner went on as if nothing had happened. Draco though, was no longer hungry. Now he had only one goal: To get Hermione out and take her away from here, wherever here was. He didn't care what happened to him afterward.


	29. An Unforgivable Chore

It seemed to Harry that time stopped after Remus informed him and Ron of the goings-on at the Clan castle.

"What did Dumbledore have to say about things?" he asked quietly. "Did he suggest where Hermione might be, or did he have any ideas?"

Remus turned his gaze away from the boys and locked eyes with the sunset for a long moment. Then, he said quietly "don't worry, you two. Dumbledore says there's still hope. No one who has Hermione now would dare kill her or even hurt her because of all that's at stake. He says he's going to go back to Hogwarts to ponder things, as it seems that the vampires have done a very good job of covering their tracks. The rest of us are going to room in the castle until he tells us otherwise to see if we can find any clues there as to where the vampires might have gone." He paused and smiled weakly. "I know this probably won't be much comfort to either of you, but remember, Draco is with her, he knows where she is, and I bet he will contact us if either of them get into any real danger. Now, we have to meet the others before they start worrying about us."

Harry and Ron looked at each other for a moment, then followed Remus worriedly to the Clan castle, the temporary headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

* * *

After the disposal of Ariella, dinner continued as normal, though Draco couldn't eat a thing. The darkened room, brightened only slightly by the dim fire, still smelled of Ariella's burnt flesh, and her scream of terror still rang in his ears. After she'd finished burning, the goons had stepped forward and taken charge of the ashes, not even bothering to dispose of them properly. Instead, they'd merely swept them into a tidy pile and left the pile sitting inconspicuously next to the table. Draco couldn't stop looking at it, although he knew he had to. At least he didn't see any fragments of bone in the pile. A sound suddenly snapped Draco out of his concentration.

"Are you not hungry, young Malfoy?" the Dark Lord asked him, frowning at his nearly full plate. "From what I've heard, you haven't eaten all day. Why do you deny yourself now?"

Draco's eyes widened, then he quickly grabbed his fork and began shoveling potatoes into his mouth. Silence filled the room again. Suddenly, one of the goons came running in looking panicked.

"My Lord, the sacrifice has awakened! What should be done?"

Voldemort rose gracefully from his chair and glided over to the man, who was big and beefy and red. The red serpent eyes narrowed, and in the time it took Draco to blink, the Dark Lord had one hand around the man's neck and was holding on to his wand with the other.

"Did I not specifically instruct you," hissed Voldemort softly, "to enchant the girl so that she would not wake up under any circumstances?"

The man groaned and shuddered. He tried to nod in agreement, but the hold on his neck made that nearly impossible. Finally, Voldemort produced his wand and pointed it neatly between the man's eyes.

"_Avada Kedavra,_" he whispered softly, then carelessly threw the dead man on the ground. As Draco watched all this, he realized that the only way to get out of this hell on earth alive was to be in good with the Dark Lord; become his friend. He watched as Voldemort came back and sat himself at the table.

"It's so hard to find good help nowadays," Draco commented lightly. Voldemort gave him a scant glance.

"A man who does not know he is a fool must be taught," he replied. "If he doesn't learn, he must pay the ultimate price. I do not think foolishness an admirable quality in those that assist me."

Draco nodded, then said quietly, "what will be done with the girl?"

Voldemort looked pensive for just a moment, then looked back at Draco. "I suppose you wonder why you have been brought here, young Malfoy," he said. "Your family were loyal followers of mine until this incident occurred. I know you know where they are."

Draco nodded.

"However," Voldemort continued, "since you seem to be so well-connected to the girl, I want you to keep watch over her here. Do you know the proper spells to keep her contained?"

Draco nodded, suddenly feeling light. "Yes, my Lord.

Voldemort nodded satisfactorily. "Very well. If you have no desire to eat anything else, go back to the Dungeons and tell the guards there that the sacrifice is to be woken up. You will then place the Imperious Curse upon her, thus putting her under your control until you receive further instructions."

Draco nodded slowly as his insides shattered. To watch over Hermione until the ceremony was one thing. To put the Imperius curse on her was another. He laughed softly and bitterly to himself. At this time last year, such an order would have pleased him, but now, it seemed wrong. She couldn't even fight back.

Even so, he gave Voldemort a deep bow and hurried away from the dining hall and back to the dungeons. There, he found the guards deep in slumber. He rapped them sharply on their heads and they each woke up quickly, muttering obscenities at him under their breaths.

"I have been ordered to come here and get the girl," Draco stated. "The Dark Lord insists that she be moved to a different area, and that duty has been assigned to me."

The guards were not foolish enough to try and stop him. Instead, they watched as he picked up the blinking girl and carried her out of the dungeon.

As soon as he was clear of it, Draco began to search for any empty place where he could place Hermione. Finally, he found an empty bedroom and placed her on the floor.

He waited a moment, and was relieved when she opened her mouth to speak, but he put up a hand and she paused as he ran to close the door, and to check and see if there was anyone around to overhear them. Seeing no one in the halls outside the room, he shut the door and came back looking satisfied.

Hermione looked around the room confusedly. "Draco, where are we?"

Draco followed her eyes. "We aren't at the Clan castle anymore. We've been moved to another building, but I'm not quite sure where. It seems very out of the way though.

Hermione nodded. "What's been going on? What happened after we got here?"

"Well," Draco began reluctantly, "I believe I was woken up almost immediately after we arrived. The Dark Lord has assigned me to watch over you as he believes the others here to be incompetent. And there's one more thing: Ariella has been killed."

"What?" Hermione put a hand to her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. "How did it happen?"

Draco looked away. "The Dark Lord wanted his goons to have some practice before the ceremony, and apparently, Gammried ordered for Ariella to be disposed of. They threw her in a fire and that was that. Well, actually, they didn't throw her in the fire; she was so far gone she sort of got herself into it, but-"

"Stop," Hermione said softly, "I don't want to hear anymore. Anything else I should know?"

Draco sighed. "Yes. The Dark Lord is very worried now. Your waking up from the goons' control has made him want to take more extreme measures to keep you away from the world until the feast."

Hermione's eyes widened. "How extreme is he planning?"

Draco squirmed uncomfortably and opened his mouth a couple of times, hoping that he would be able to get the words out. It didn't work. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Thinking it was one of the Death Eaters coming to check up on him, he panicked and whipped out his wand, pointing it at Hermione who was looking at him, stunned. Putting every ounce of force into the word, he said "_Imperio!"_

* * *

When Harry, Ron and Remus arrived at the castle, they were met by Mrs. Weasley who was looking frantic. Ron looked at her, surprised. She hadn't come with them.

"Where'd you come from, Mum?" he asked.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Never you mind where I came from. The two of you gave us a terrible fright. We'd thought you'd been lost."

"We're all here safe Molly, don't worry," Remus said, coming up behind her.

Harry looked around. "Where do you think all the vampires went? I didn't even realize they'd moved."

Remus collapsed into a chair, accepting the cup of tea that Mrs. Weasley offered him. "They probably went to another one of their hideouts to make plans for the feast, Harry. This isn't the only place they meet, and I believe they're starting to sense that someone is on to them."

Suddenly, an owl soared through the window, landing neatly on the table beside Remus's chair. He looked at it for a moment, then took the scroll from it's leg.

"It's from Dumbledore!" he announced loudly. "He knows where Voldemort has taken Hermione!"

He put the paper down on the little table in front of him, and Harry saw only a few words.

_Ramstock Tower, the woods._


	30. The Only Way

As he said the words, Draco shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again, he let out a slow breath and studied the girl sitting in front of him. Her eyes were glassy and her body was stiff. She seemed unable to move. Finally, he stood up and gazed down at her.

"Stand up," he ordered quietly. And she did so. Then she just looked at him, expectant. What was he supposed to do with her once the curse was put on? He couldn't remember. Finally, he just took her hand and led her out into the hallway. While they were out walking, he encountered another one of the guards.

"I have done as I have been instructed, and the girl is fully under my control. What is to be done with her now?"

Fortunately, this guard seemed at least much more awake then the rest. "The Dark Lord is in the dungeon awaiting your arrival. He has your instructions." Draco nodded and went on his way.

The dungeon was now strangely bathed in a queer green light. Draco approached its only occupant slowly, kneeling low once he reached him.

"I have gotten the girl under my control, my lord," he said quietly. "What is to be done now?"

Voldemort looked around the dungeon speculatively for a moment before grinning wickedly down at Draco.

"Young Malfoy, you will take the girl to your house and you will keep her there. I have placed Arion and Fallon at the house to guard her, and your parents and grandmother as well, although they are no longer allowed the luxury of making decisions for themselves." He laughed and it echoed ominously. After he stopped, he looked at Draco expectantly, who obliged him with something resembling more of a nervous squeak then a laugh.

Finally, Draco cleared his throat and stood up. "I shall take her home straightaway." He bowed again before dragging Hermione out of the room after him.

Once they were outside, Draco looked around wildly for a method of getting himself and Hermione away from the tower and out of the woods. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the same alert guard that had assisted him earlier came running out of the tower holding what looked like a dirty old watering can.

"This is for you!" he panted as he held the can out to Draco. "It's for getting back to the Manor, as we didn't allow time to get brooms when we picked the two of you up."

As soon as the guard was sure that the can was firmly in Draco's grip, he went back into the tower without another word, leaving Draco with Hermione on one arm, and the dirty can in the other.

* * *

Back at the castle, everyone was stunned into silence. Then Remus picked up Dumbledore's minute scribble and read it over again several times, his eyebrows knitting more with each reading. 

"Remus," Harry asked hesitantly, "what's Ramstock Tower?"

Remus put the paper down again and looked at Harry, massaging his temples. "Ramstock Tower is an old, old fortress of magic, Harry. It has been around for centuries, even before Hogwarts. If Hermione was here, she would tell you that Ramstock Tower was even considered to be the location for Hogwarts."

Ron looked up at that. "Why isn't it?"

Remus shook his head. "Too much negative energy. The energy in and around a building has a major influence on the people inside it. And sometimes, with bad magic especially, it can have a mind of its own and make people do things. Really terrible things."

"A thousand years ago, the land that Ramstock Tower is on was often used for sacrifice rituals," Mr. Weasley added. "I would think that if you remembered anything from History of Magic, you'd remember that."

Harry and Ron looked at each other sheepishly. It was true they'd remembered reading something like that in the notes that Hermione had taken during History of Magic, but they hadn't really taken time to really soak it in.

Ron looked at his father. "So Dad, you're saying that once upon a time ago, wizards would sacrifice people in the woods? What sort of people?"

Mr. Weasley shrugged and wiped off his glasses on his robes. "Ron, I really couldn't tell you for sure."

"Muggles," Remus said quietly. "Muggles and any other poor unfortunates that they could get their hands on. They would build up wooden structures, stick the victims inside and then magically lock the things so that the people couldn't get out. Then, when they were locked in as tight as possible, the whole building would be set ablaze and the poor souls' dying screams would pierce the tranquility of the woods."

"Another topic of conversation please!" Mrs. Weasley's sharp voice rang out as a collective shudder went around the room and everyone turned to see her balancing a large tray of teacups and a pot in her arms. Remus jumped up to help her, gently relieving her of her burden. She collapsed into the nearest chair looking frazzled.

"Mum," Ron asked, "I know you want this topic to end, and it will, but can I just ask one more question?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "If you must."

"All right, I must." Ron turned to Remus. "Why would these wizards need to sacrifice muggles anyway? Was there a reason?"

Remus nodded as he began to pass around cups of tea. "Ancient wizardfolk were very superstitious, Ron. They believed that certain spirits in nature controlled their magic, and that if these spirits were not satisfied or thanked every so often, the magic that the wizards depended upon so much would be taken away."

"How often did they have to perform these sacrifices?" Harry asked, ignoring Mrs. Weasley's exasperated expression.

"They had to perform them every sixty years," Remus answered immediately.

"Do you think this has any connection to what's going on now with Hermione and the vampires?" Harry asked.

Remus looked thoughtful. "I really don't know."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "And neither can anyone else, so would it be all right with everyone if I shared this letter that just came from Dumbledore?"

The entire room rotated to the large table that had been set up and Mrs. Weasley pulled the letter out of her robe pocket and read.

"_Molly, I've just received word that Draco and Hermione have migrated back to Malfoy Manor. It seems that Voldemort is placing her there once again with hopes she will be well-guarded until she's needed. The Imperious curse has been placed upon her as a precaution, but tell Harry and Ron that they need not worry about that. I think we can use it to our advantage. I won't tell you how in case this letter falls into the wrong hands. You'll have to trust me._

_Albus Dumbledore"_

Mrs. Weasley looked up from the letter at the stunned faces of those around the table.

"I wonder what Dumbledore is planning?" Remus mused. "Knowing him, it's probably something really clever."

* * *

When Draco arrived with Hermione back at the Manor, he was surprised to meet Dumbledore at the front door. 

"Hello, sir," he greeted the headmaster, gazing at him with curiosity. Dumbledore grinned back, his eyes twinkling beneath his half-moon spectackes.

"Hello, Draco. Can I assume by the look on your face that you are curious as to why I'm here?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore smiled again. "Well, why don't we go inside for a bit of tea, and I'll explain my plan." He studied Hermione. "And Miss Granger looks like she could use a bit of fixing up as well."

Draco looked up at him, panicked. "Please, sir. You can't do that! I'm specifically under orders from the Dark Lord to keep her under my control until I receive orders telling me otherwise."

Dumbledore said nothing, but began to walk up to the front door, opening it with a flick of his wand. Upon entering the house, Dumbledore took a good look at Narcissa, with her expressionless face. Then he gazed at Draco.

"Draco, this is what has happened to your mother because of Voldemort. Do you want Miss Granger to be like this as well?"

Draco looked at Hermione, then his mother, then back at Hermione one last time. Then, he capitulated, handing Hermione over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore took her into one of the rooms near the front door and muttered some words that Draco couldn't make out. When he came back, Hermione looked very much like her old self, almost _too_ much in fact. Then Draco gazed at Narcissa. "Sir, could you-"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I'm sorry Draco. If I undo too much of what Voldemort has ordered, Arion and Fallon will get suspicious and report back."

Finally, Hermione spoke. "Sir, I think I've had enough excitement for one summer, so please tell me I get to have things be calm now. And if Arion and Fallon are supposed to be guarding the place, how did you get in?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I have my ways. Now, as to what happens next for the two of you. I don't think it wise for you to stay here based on past events, but I have thought of other arrangements." He turned away from them, but Hermione saw the glint in his eyes anyway.

"What other arrangements did you have in mind, sir? Where are we staying?"

Dumbledore turned to face her. "Miss Granger, you are now as much a risk to Voldemort as Harry is. Where did I place him to keep him out of harm?"

Draco's eyes widened. "You don't mean that the two of us are going to live with muggles, do you?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course. Think of it as a learning experience, Draco. Besides, I think it's time you met _your_ 'future in-laws'."

And as Hermione watched in amusement, Draco fainted onto the floor of the foyer.


	31. Suprise, Surprise

Hermione looked down at Draco's prone form and sighed. "Sir, not to question your plan, but do you really think that sending Draco to live with muggles is a good idea? And even though my parents are very sensible dentists normally, they've already been on the beach holiday this summer, and that tends to throw them off their rockers for a time."

Dumbledore gazed at her for a moment. "I find your worries very interesting, Miss Granger. At any other time, I know you would be thrilled to see Mr. Malfoy, who is so dependent on magic, be thrown out into the cold muggle world of manual labor."

Hermione's lip quirked a bit at the image that suddenly came to her head; it was of Draco attempting to use a microwave oven. The one at her house was beyond repair, and it was hard enough for anyone in her own family to use, let alone try to explain to someone who had never seen one before. "You know, you're right; but lately we've been through so much together that-that I just-"

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand. There is no need to say anymore, but the bad news is that I really don't have any other options at the moment that I feel are safer for you."

Hermione nodded slowly. "Well, if that's the way it has to be." Just then, she noticed that Draco's eyes were beginning to flutter. She grinned down at him. "Hello, there. What just happened to you?"

Draco sat up. "I had a nightmare," he said weakly. "I dreamed that we came here to my house, and Dumbledore was there, and he told me that in order for the two of us to be safe, we'd have to go live at your house. At your _muggle _house." His eyes began to tear with despair.

Hermione gave him a hand up and helped him to sit down. When he was firmly ensconced in a chair, she said "I have bad news, and I have bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"What does it matter?" Draco grumbled. "It's bad news all around."

She sat down next to him. "Well, the first bad news is that that wasn't a dream. We really are at your house, and second, we really have to move in with my parents until September so that we won't get caught."

Draco groaned. "That long? What month is it now?"

Hermione walked into the kitchen to gaze at an elegant calendar resting on one of the counters. "July second. Doesn't really seem like an entire month has gone by, has it?" she asked.

Draco stood up. "Well, we might as well not prolong the inevitable." He turned to Dumbldore. "Sir, how are we getting from here to Hermione's house?"

* * *

As it turned out, Dumbledore decided to go to a muggle car agency to rent Hermione and Draco's transport. 

"Why couldn't we have at least used the horses?" Draco asked grumpily when he saw the car. "They're already here and you wouldn't have had to go out and waste a whole bunch of money. Besides, I don't even know how to handle one of these damn things."

Hermione gave him a saccharine-sweet smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Of course you don't," she said simply. "That's why I'll be driving us. It's not going to be that long of a ride, so don't worry. Besides, what would the neighbors say if they saw a bunch of big, black, winged horses at the front of our house?"

"But I brought the horses to the beach," Draco protested. "And you didn't say anything then. The beach had to have been just _crawling_ with muggles."

"Yes, but at the beach, my parents and I are three out of a million people who vacation there every summer, plus the resort has enough drink in to make a person see things for miles. People who saw just could have mistaken them for drunken hallucinations or something, but back at home, my parents are pretty upstanding. I would have thought that you could have grasped that concept rather easily."

"Oh, yes." Draco's cheeks became slightly pink. Then he stopped resisting enough to let Hermione shove him into the car.

"Buckle your seatbelt," she instructed. "We don't want anything unfortunate to happen while we're on the road."

"Do unfortunate things often happen when you drive?" he asked suspiciously.

Hermione shook her head. "No, but you can never be too careful. Now be quiet and relax so I can concentrate. In fact, take a nap."

Draco agreed, and soon the backseat was quiet. He began to dream.

The rest of the ride to the Granger household was silent, and when Hermione pulled up to the front drive, she gasped and accidentally put the brake on too soon, sending Draco headfirst into the seat ahead of him.

"Ow!" he cried. "Will you watch what you're doing? I was having a pleasant nap and you made me hit my head."

"Will you shut up?" she snapped. "Look out your window and tell me you don't see the same thing I do."

Draco did as she asked and was surprised to see the banner strung across the front of the Granger's household: **Congratulations Hermione and Draco!** It read in bold letters. On the banner were two happy people who seemed to be in wedding garb.

"Do you see that giant banner strung across the front door too?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded, undid her seatbelt and hopped out of the car. Then she went around to Draco's side and let him out."

"Are you starting to wonder what exactly Dumbledore told my parents when he asked if we could come live with them?" Hermione asked.

Draco nodded. "More then you'll ever know."

Plastering grins on their faces, they approached the house and were met with wild cheers and applause. Hermione spotted Harry and Ron and walked over to them.

"Do the two of you know what's going on here?" she asked.

"Oh, lighten up!" Ron responded jovially. "This is your engagement party; you're supposed to be happy."

Hermione groaned and looked desperately at Harry. He nodded, and taking her by the hand, led her to the side of the house to explain.

"Dumbledore sent your parents the letter two days ago," he confessed. "He told them that the 'project' you've been working on for school is really this whole thing." He turned his eyes in the direction of the banner. "The letter says you want to stay here until the wedding, and maybe until you're on your feet."

Hermione gasped. "You're joking, right?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not." Just then, Hermione's mother appeared and gazed at her and Harry.

"Come along, dear! We mustn't leave your groom all alone!" her voice was cheerful.

Hermione rolled her eyes and gazed at Harry. "When I told Dumbledore we were getting along, I meant I was at the 'I can tolerate him' point, not the 'I love him so much I want to marry him' point!"

Harry looked sympathetic. "I know, but now you have to smile, because your parents can't suspect that this is all a big lie."

Hermione nodded and faced front. "Okay, I'll do it, but I won't like it."

Suddenly, just as Hermione and Harry arrived to rejoin the party, they say Dumbledore talking with Hermione's mother.

"What's he doing here?" she asked Harry curiously. He shrugged.

But when they got close enough to hear what was being said, Dumbledore stopped talking and moved to the front of the group where everyone could see him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know that this is only our happy couple's engagement party, but I have just been informed by a special source that they wish to be married right here and now. I for one have no problem with that, and have in fact been called here to conduct the ceremony. Hermione, Draco, will you come forward please?"


	32. Ramstock Tower

Hermione looked at Dumbledore's grinning face and groaned internally. Was he really serious? Did he really mean that he wanted them to be married right here and right now? Suddenly, she felt a slight, insistent shove in the small of her back. She turned around to find Harry gazing at her urgently._ Get up there right now,_ his eyes urged.

Looking away from him, Hermione tossed her hair and began to walk towards Dumbledore, with Draco meeting her up front from the opposite side of the yard. As soon as the two of them were firmly planted in front of the headmaster, he looked at them, smiling some more. Then, he spoke.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of two souls into one. At this moment, Hermione Isabel Granger and Draco Lucius Malfoy will pledge their lives and souls to one another for all time. Draco, do you take Hermione to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Draco looked Dumbledore straight in the eye. His jaw was set, and he looked pale and determined, as if he were about to say his last words before death rather then say his wedding vows. "I do." He said it quickly and without emotion.

Dumbledore then turned to Hermione. "Hermione, do you take Draco to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Hermione nodded. "I do."

Dumbledore looked away from them to gaze at the crowd of onlookers for a moment. The entire yard had gone silent. "Very well," he said finally. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The newly-wed couple looked at each other hesitantly. They'd known it was coming, but now that it was actually here, they didn't know what to do. Finally, Hermione shut her eyes and leaned in and Draco did the same. But just as their lips were about to touch, a voice suddenly rang out, causing their eyes to pop open in surprise.

"Excuse me," it said, "but I believe you forgot a line in the vows."

Dumbledore looked up. "Oh?" he answered pleasantly, "and what line would that be?"

Hermione turned to face the crowd and try to locate the speaker. Once she saw him, she gasped.

"It would be the line," he said as he strode confidently towards Dumbledore, "where you ask 'if anyone has just cause why these two souls should not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace'."

"Oh, yes, that line," Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "I did not say it because I did not think that it would be necessary. Every person here seemed very amenable to having the ceremony preformed."

The young man frowned. "Well, I'm here Dumbledore. I know what you're trying to do, and why you're doing it and I object."

Dumbledore looked at him steadily. "On what grounds do you object?"

For a moment, the young man looked nervous. He seemed afraid to speak. Finally, he managed to choke out "I object on the grounds that you are trying to ruin everything!" Then, he collapsed on the ground, and shut his eyes. His breathing became shallow and labored.

Hermione looked at Dumbledore. "Is there anything we can do for him?" she asked. He looked so pitiful just lying there on the ground.

Dumbledore nodded. "Draco, you try and stand him up, get him into the house where he can lie down, Once he's had a rest and a glass of water, he should be able to talk to us."

"Is he in grave danger?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, just in shock. This little performance apparently robbed him of the last of his nerve."

Hermione nodded and proceeded into the house with her mother fretting at her heels.

"Mum, would you relax?" she finally snapped. Dumbledore says he isn't going to die, and for your information, you should not like him! He tried to kill me once!"

Her mother was silent for a moment, then suddenly began to mutter about making a nice pot of tea for anyone who wanted it. Hermione watched her go. Then, she felt the tap on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked her. Hermione nodded.

"I'm more all right then I ought to be, I suppose. Why do you think that is? I should be terrified for my very life,"

Draco sighed. "Maybe you aren't so frightened because he's weak. He's not dangerous to you now."

Hermione looked up. "Yes, but he'll get better. Then, I'll have to fear for my life."

Draco took her hand and led her into the parlor, where the young man sat propped up on a couch he seemed more awake now, and he gazed at Dumbledore with a look of hatred.

Hermione looked at Draco again. "Why does he look so awake? A few minutes ago, he looked like he was going to die!"

"Dumbledore took the glamour charm off him," Draco explained. "It was meant to make him look tired and sickly. Now he's going to talk. I'm so glad we didn't miss it."

Dumbledore looked stern as he began to question the young man,

"Fallon, why are you here?"

Fallon glared and held his lips together tightly, as if he wanted no words to escape them. But that lasted only a moment before everything poured out of him like a waterfall.

"I'm here because _he_ knows. Everyone knows. You aren't doing such a good job of covering you tracks, Dumbledore." He laughed madly.

"Are there others here?"

Fallon nodded. "Yes, of course there are, you stupid old man. We're everywhere. And this time, we won't fail."

Hermione's eyes widened at that, then she looked at Draco. "If Fallon was wearing a glamour, why did I recognize him so easily?"

Draco looked at her, surprised. "You did? Really?"

Hermione nodded. "I saw him right after he started talking, and I just knew."

"Weird."

He turned away from her and watched as Dumbledore continued to question Fallon.

"What are your plans?"

Now Fallon was looking defiant. "You will loose someone very near to you. Like so many others, they will disappear."

At once, Hermione felt what seemed to be a cold breath on the back of her neck, then, in her head_ "Fanez-vous,"_

She opened her mouth to cry out, but she couldn't make a sound. Things suddenly seemed to slow down. She reached out a hand to Draco, but he didn't make it in time. Instead, he and Dumbledore could only watch as she faded into nothingness, as a deep, wicked laugh roared in their ears.

* * *

The air around her was cold, but as she gazed to her right and left, she couldn't muster any fear, at least not at the moment. The room was furnished completely in gold, and sweet singing seemed to echo from the walls. Then, a shape formed in the far corner of the room. It was tall, and broad, and when it had finished materializing, Hermione saw it to be a young man. 

He was beautiful beyond anything she could imagine. He smiled at her, and she felt her knees give way. He began to walk toward her, and once they were eye to eye, he took her hand.

"You are not here, but you will be, very soon." His voice was cultured, soft, velvety, and his rich brown hair neatly framed his face.

"Where am I not?" Hermione asked meekly, wondering how she could _not_ be in such a beautiful, definite place.

"You are not in the Otherworld. But you will be very soon. Now, you must go." And as suddenly as he had come the young man kissed her hand and disappeared. At that moment, things seemed to shatter.

* * *

She opened her eyes again in a very dark room. She tried to move, but it was impossible. She looked around again, pinching herself to make sure that she wasn't still dreaming. The pain was real. This was reality. 

The people surrounding her were robed, tall and dark. They were also silent. She looked up at the one closest to her. "What just happened to me? Where am I?"

"Merely a distraction so you wouldn't run." His voice, the sound of shattering glass, sent chills down her spine. He pulled down his hood, and grinned, wickedly. "Welcome, Miss, to Ramstock Tower and the end of your world." He turned to bark at two burly men beside him. "You know what to do. We wouldn't want to lose our guest of honor before we have a chance to show her what excellent hosts we are."

The two men nodded and left the room. Then, two women came and grabbed her, releasing her from her bonds and dragging her to a pit at the far corner of the room. Then they tied her down again.

She began screaming, but they paid her no mind. Finally, she got out "What is this?"

That made them stop. Then the leader came to stand over her. "You were promised to us by the wizards in return for our services. Now we are taking you. Before you have a chance to get away again." He looked up and snapped his fingers.

A young man appeared then. Hermione gasped. He was identical to the young man in her vision or whatever it was. As she watched in helpless fascination, the leader stepped away from her, and she found herself gazing into the young man's cold, green eyes. Before she could even open her mouth to scream, his lips parted as he eagerly went for her neck. She closed her eyes, and waited for the pain.

A/n- At least ten reviews before I update again! (yes, I know I'm wicked!) This is still Northern-Southern Belle. Forget I ever did the name change. smiles reassuredly


	33. Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Without thinking, Draco charged at Fallon, pushing Dumbledore aside roughly so he could get his hands on Fallon's neck.

"Where'd she go?" he yelled, roughly shaking Fallon from side to side. "What did you do with her?"

Draco's anger stunned Fallon, but only for a moment. Then, he sucker-punched Draco in the gut, forcing him to let go and making him fall, wheezing and coughing to the ground. Then Fallon came and stood over him looking wicked.

"You never learn, do you cousin?" he asked. He grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him up. "Do you want to see where Hermione is? I will take you to her. But once you go, you can never return."

Draco's eyes widened. He looked at Fallon for a moment, then he turned his gaze to Dumbledore, who said nothing. He sighed.

At that moment, two more people entered the room. Draco was relieved to see them for the first time in his life. It was a very, very strange sensation.

Dumbledore also gazed at the new arrivals, finally speaking for the first time in several minutes.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione has been taken, if I'm not mistaken, so that the ceremony can be performed now. The vampires aren't taking chances anymore. Fallon has offered Draco a chance to go and see her before the ceremony has been performed."

Ron looked at Fallon with distaste. "So you're Fallon, are you? How do we know that the ceremony hasn't already been performed and you're just leading us on?"

"Look," Fallon growled. "I'm trying to do you a favor, but if you don't wish to accept it, then it's not really my fault."

Draco laughed humorlessly at that. "It isn't really a favor if the other vampires intend to trap us and keep us forever so we can never come back. It sounds more like we're being used as bait. You _did _just imply that they can come, too right?" he asked, indicating Ron and Harry.

Fallon nodded. "Oh," he added, "You're wrong about one thing: You are not the bait. You are simply three beings who were suckered in by the bait. That's the reason why we use muggles and mudbloods. Because they have so many willing, _available_ friends. These ceremonies are such excellent ways to recruit new blood." He laughed, then turned serious again in an instant. "So are you coming with me, or not?"

Draco, Harry and Ron each looked at one another. It wasn't because they were hesitating. They knew without a doubt that they were going. It was just a comforting thought that they were going together.

Finally, Draco turned away. Hell, he thought. It's a good thing my parents are under curses, because I think I'd be disowned if my father could see me now.

Then, the three of them looked at Fallon. "Yes, Fallon," said Draco quietly. "We'll come with you."

Dumbledore watched them as they left. He didn't say a word about it. As soon as they were gone, there was a knock on the Granger's front door. He waited a moment, but no one else in the house even came inside to answer it. Then, the knocks became more insistent. Finally, he stood up and went to answer the door.

The woman on the other side was a pale, dark-eyed brunette in red dress. She looked slightly familiar to Dumbledore, though he couldn't place her. The expression she wore was a wild and desperate one. Her eyes were wet, as if she'd been crying. She brushed away Dumbledore's apologies and charged into the parlor, throwing herself down on the couch.

Dumbledore watched as she did this, knowing that she was too overwrought to talk immediately. He waited until she was no longer crying, only breathing hard.

"I am Albus Dumbledore," he said calmly. "Who are you?"

The woman looked up at him. "Do you have a handkerchief?" she asked. He nodded, then quickly zapped one up, going to sit beside her as she took it from him.

"Who are you?" he repeated gently. She softly blew her nose, then put the handkerchief in a tiny silver purse in one of her dress pockets.

"I apologize for all this," she said finally. "I have just discovered that something horrible is about to befall one of my family members. I am Lydia Granger."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling inwardly. That was why she was so familiar to him. This was Miss Granger's infamous relation.

He nodded, then stood up. "You seem overwrought. Would you like some tea?"

Lydia shook her head, smiling a little. "Thank you, but I don't drink tea."

Dumbledore suddenly understood. "Oh, yes of course. I'd quite forgotten about your particular tastes. As for the pressing matter at hand: Your great-granddaughter was taken somewhere a short while ago. I have reason to believe it was Ramstock Tower. Then, just before your arrival, your son took three of her friends to say goodbye to her."

Lydia's eyes widened. "And you let them go?! Do you not realize the danger that they are in, sir? Vampires use these ceremonies to recruit new, ignorant souls into their ranks! Those friends of hers will be killed for certain!" Shock had made her rise, but she fell back on the couch again quite suddenly.

"Lydia, I am perfectly aware of what I sent Hermione's friends into," Dumbledore said quietly. "I didn't try and stop them because I know them too well. Besides, something told me that it would not be me who would be doing the rescuing."

Lydia sat up slowly. Understanding was finally starting to dawn. "You're right, you won't," she said finally. "I was the one who cheated them all those years ago due to Arion's fickle, love-struck generosity. But now they shall be repaid in full."

And without another word to Dumbledore, she rushed out the door as quickly as she had come. Knowing she didn't have much time, she transformed right there in the driveway and flew as fast as her wings could carry her to Ramstock Tower.

* * *

All of a sudden, the world seemed to stop. Hermione could still hear the vampire's heavy breathing, and feel it, warm upon her neck, but he didn't seem to want to bite her.

Curious, she opened her eyes. She saw that she was no longer tied down and could move about freely, so she sat up to see what was going on. To her surprise, the entire group of vampires was now clustered around something in the far corner of the room. Then, one of them picked it up and carried it closer to her, and she saw that it was a bat, a rundown, tired-looking bat. But the mere sight of it was making the vampires act very odd, and that alone told Hermione that there was more to this creature then it being just simply a bat.

Just as the creature was being carried away, there was a sound at one of the high windows of the sacrificing room. The young vampire who would have bitten her noticed it first.

"It's Fallon!" he called to the others. "Fallon's come back and he's brought others with him. New others."

The other vampires began to lick their lips at the thought of new blood. The young once got to the window and let Fallon and his companions in. Hermione saw who they were and she nearly had a heart attack. It was Draco, Ron and Harry of all people!

"What are you all doing here?" she cried as soon as they noticed her.

"Fallon told us we could come and say goodbye to you," Draco answered.

Hermione nodded. "Somehow I knew you weren't agents of rescue sent by Professor Dumbledore, especially after you showed up with Fallon. So does that mean everyone thinks of me as a lost cause then? Am I just supposed to sit here and wait to be fed to the wolves while the rest of you just go on with your lives and have a jolly good time?"

Draco shook his head. "Of course not. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore has a plan. Besides, now the vampires are distracted by that bat and you're untied. It's the perfect chance to get away."

Hermione shook her head. "Draco, something tells me that this won't be that simple. I don't actually think that creature was really a bat."

"Of course it wasn't a bat." While they'd been talking, Fallon had snuck up behind them.

Hermione gazed at him. "Fallon, what is it really?"

He grimaced. "It's my mother."

Hermione and Draco gasped. "Your mother?" Hermione cried. "What's _she_ doing here?"

Fallon sighed. "She's come to repay the debt that my father rescued her from sixty years ago. Her offer has been accepted. In other words, you're free to go."

Hermione gazed at him, speechless. She heard Harry, Ron and Draco talking to her, trying to move her, trying to get her to come with them, but she couldn't make herself move.

"No," she said quietly. "I can't let that happen." At the same moment, the young vampire who would have gotten to have her came running back into the room with Gammried at his heels, shouting why Lydia was a much better sacrifice then Hermione.

"Why would we use her?" they young vampire asked, referring to Lydia. "She's already been turned. This new one is fresh."

Gammried put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "You are too young to understand such things, but Lydia is much more valuable to us then the girl will ever be."

In a sudden, violent burst of motion, the young vampire tore himself free of Gammried's grasp and in another graceful motion, he had Hermione by the hair.

"You said I could have her," he proclaimed. "And have her I will!" And before anyone could do anything to stop him, he sank his fangs into Hermione's neck.


	34. Nightmares

"Hermione, no!" Draco cried as he bolted upright in the backseat of the rented Anglia. Hermione hit the brake at a stoplight and turned around to face him.

"Draco, what's the matter with you?" she asked. "My driving isn't that bad."

Draco blinked at her, slowly. "It's not your driving," he said finally. "I think I'm just nervous about meeting your parents, that's all. I had a very interesting dream just now. We arrived at your parents' house and they thought we were engaged, and Dumbledore performed the wedding ceremony and we actually were married, and then Fallon showed up and you got kidnapped by the vampires, and just as before I woke up, a vampire bit you."

Hermione laughed slightly. "Are you serious? That must have been a fun dream to have. Do you think it actually means anything?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know, but I think once we're settled in at your parent's house, we should at least write Dumbledore about it. For all we know, it might not just be a product of my anxious imagination."

Hermione nodded. "All right. I think that's a good idea then." Suddenly, she looked up at a light-blue house that, although not as big as Malfoy Manor, was fairly good-sized.

"Home, sweet home," she said serenely. Draco gazed suspiciously out the window.

"Hermione, do you see any signs with depictions of happy married people on them strung on either side of the house?"

Hermione giggled a bit at his anxious expression. "No, but pray tell, what would they say if I did?"

Draco glared at her as he watched her get out of the car, and then got out of the car himself. "For your information, they wouldn't say much. Just 'Congratulations Hermione and Draco'!" in big, bold letters. Then, your mother would come running out to greet us in this really excited manner-"

He broke off at the sight of Hermione's mother coming to meet them. "Was she that excited in your dream?" Hermione whispered.

Draco shook his head and smiled as Hermione's mother put her arms around both of them.

"Hermione, it's been so long since you've been home that I can hardly contain myself!" she turned to look at Draco.

"Would you like to introduce me to your friend?" she asked.

Hermione nodded. "Draco, this is my mother, Susan Granger. Mum, this is Draco Malfoy, a friend from Hogwarts."

Mrs. Granger gazed at Draco for a moment. "I suppose this'll be a bit of an experience for you. But don't worry, you'll do fine. In fact, by September, you'll be wondering how you ever lived with magic in the first place!"

And without waiting for the two of them to follow, she grabbed their bags out of the Anglia and went inside the house with them, leaving Draco and Hermione alone in the driveway.

"Your mother seems nice," Draco observed. "But I'm a bit frightened of her. Is she always this happy?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not normally. But as this is Saturday, she's probably had a few glasses of gin. My parents always buy a bottle or two for the weekend, and sometimes they go a bit overboard."

Draco began to walk toward the house with Hermione in step beside him. "Do you think she really meant all that?" he asked suddenly, with the air of one swallowing broken glass.

"All what?" Hermione asked.

"All that," Draco repeated. "You know, making me like the muggle world so much that I'll hate magic by September."

Hermione laughed slightly. "Oh, _that_. Well, Mum _is _a bit of a cleaning fanatic, and since we don't have any full-time house elves like you do, we each have to do our share to keep the house clean, but it's not too maddening."

Draco nodded, trying to keep fear out of his eyes. "All right, so I'll have to use a mop. It can't be too difficult."

Hermione shook her head as the two of them reached the front door. "I wouldn't be so relieved if I was you. Mum will probably give you one chore that will take time so that you won't have to learn a whole bunch of new things. And if what I remember is correct, she has been saying that the attic needs to be cleaned out and sorted."

Draco shrugged. "That doesn't sound too difficult. I can sort things."

With her hand on the knob, Hermione turned and threw him a wicked glance. "Just you wait. You haven't seen the attic yet."

Feeling as if ice were sliding down his back, Draco followed Hermione into the large, homey Granger kitchen. It smelled like someone was making a pudding, and Hermione exclaimed in delight as her mother pulled the large, chocolate masterpiece from the oven.

"Mum!" she cried, "That looks wonderful!" Sneakily, she tried to reach a hand out and snatch a tiny crumb off the side.

Her mother cast her a mock frown. "Don't, Hermione. You know the pudding is only for after dinner."

Hermione groaned. "But it wasn't for me, I swear! Come on, Mum. Draco's never had your chocolate pudding before. At least let _him_ have a bit before dinner if you're going to deprive me."

Mrs. Granger looked at Draco for a moment, and he gazed hopefully back. The house-elves at the Manor never had managed a truly good chocolate pudding, and he was eager to try one from someone else.

Finally, she relented and cut off a sliver for him and an even smaller sliver for Hermione. "How is it?" she asked nervously. "Does it taste odd at all? Do I need to adjust anything for the future?"

Draco grinned widely and shook his head. "No, please don't change a thing!" he cried, for it was truly one of the most wonderful things he had ever put in his mouth. Hermione nodded in agreement.

After the bits of cake were gone, Hermione and Draco put the plates by the sink, and were just about to leave the kitchen so Hermione could show Draco where he was staying when Mrs. Granger stopped them.

"You two," she said, "dinner will be in about half an hour, and Hermione," she said quickly, "the chore list for this week is posted by your bedroom, don't forget to check it."

Hermione nodded. Then, Mrs. Granger gave Draco a wink. "Don't worry Draco, I gave you a job too so you wouldn't feel left out. It's nothing too difficult." And with that, she waved them out of the kitchen, and Hermione and Draco went to check the chore list on the upstairs landing.

"See, I told you!" Hermione cried triumphantly as she gazed at the chore list. She jabbed her finger at a line and Draco found it immediately. He groaned as he realized she was right. He was sorting the attic.

"You really blow hot and cold in this house, don't you," he asked, causing Hermione to burst out laughing.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. Mum doesn't actually care who does what chore as long as it gets done."

Draco nodded, but the thought of doing someone else's work, even with Hermione's help, was still a bit off-putting.

He went to bed that night feeling restless and only slept fitfully. Hermione's mother woke them up bright and early the next morning, coming cheerfully into each of their rooms, singing a horrible song about "wonderful cleaning day." Then they pulled themselves out of bed, got dressed without really knowing what they were putting on, and then gulping down two large glasses of orange juice.

"Don't we get to eat anything before we…clean?" Draco asked. There was an obvious hesitation before the last word.

Mrs. Granger shook her head. "No," she said. "I made a big breakfast for you, and it'll be easier for you to eat it all if you work up an appetite." She laughed to herself, as if she'd told a joke. Draco, however, didn't move. He stood staring at Mrs. Granger for so long that Hermione finally had to grab him by the arm and drag him up to the attic.

She abandoned him at the attic door, saying just "there it is," before scampering off to do her own chore, which was to help her father sort out the garage.

Draco approached the door with caution. When he finally got enough courage to throw it open, he got a large cobweb in the face and three spiders down his jumper. And that was the least of his problems. He could barely navigate the room without tripping over some box or another. And the lighting was nonexistent. Worse, he'd left his wand in his bedroom and had no idea how to get there from here without Hermione's help.

Well, he thought as he surveyed what he could see, then collapsed down on a taped-shut box, I got out of one nightmare, and now I'm in another. What a summer this is turning out to be.

A/n- I edited ch. "Surprise, Surprise." If you want to understand the dream thing, re-read it to see the changes.

-NSB


	35. The Diary

Finally, Draco got up the strength to get off the box and began to pace around the attic. Having never cleaned before, he had no idea where to begin. Finally, he walked back to the entrance of the attic.

"Mrs. Granger," he called, "Where's the feather thing that you shuffle dust around with?" Within minutes, Hermione's mother was up the attic steps and holding a duster in her outstretched hand. Draco eyed it doubtfully, for it seemed more like a cloth, and didn't seem to be made of anything remotely resembling feathers.

"Here you are, dear," said Mrs. Granger cheerfully. "Although if I was you, I would sort things first, so they'll be up off the floor and you can get a clear view of all the really bad dust." She looked down at the duster in her hand for a moment. "Although, if I recall the chore list, I don't actually remember writing down that you had to _clean _the attic. I believe I just wanted you to sort out all the knickknacks so that the place looks neat and we won't have to worry about twisting our ankles every time we want to come up here." At that point, she paused and eyed the dusting cloth thoughtfully. "However, would you mind cleaning things up too, as long as you're in the mindset to do so anyway?"

Draco nodded half-heartedly. "Of course Mrs. Granger." He looked at the cloth she held in her hand.

"Are you absolutely positive that's a duster? It doesn't look like any duster I've ever seen."

Mrs. Granger put the cloth in her pocket and looked Draco over. "And where did you see pictures of dusters?" she asked.

"In some really old books in our attic back home," Draco confessed. "They looked like big wads of feathers."

Mrs. Granger sighed. "Well, those books must have not been too recent if all you saw were pictures of feather dusters. This is what we use now; it picks up dust, I promise." After she saw that Draco had a firm grip on the dusting cloth, she went back down the attic steps.

"See what you can do in half an hour," she called over her shoulder. "After that, I'll get Hermione out from the garage to come and help you."

As soon as she was gone, Draco came to the decision that he would begin with the sorting as Mrs. Granger had suggested. That would take up all his half hour, and technically, he wouldn't actually be cleaning.

He started with a large sea trunk which took up a good corner of the attic all by itself. He grabbed both sides of the trunk, and, cursing its weight, pulled it to the center of the attic, huffing, puffing and moaning the entire time.

When the trunk was firmly settled in a good location for sorting, he wiped the sweat off his brow and released the lock on the trunk, getting to his knees so he could get a better glimpse of what was inside.

At first, all he could see were stacks and stacks of old books and he pulled them out one at a time, setting them hard upon the wood floor and coughing as the dust from the covers flew up into his face.

Eventually, he reached the last book, and was a bit surprised when a crinkly cream-colored slip of paper fell out from beneath the front cover.

He picked it up and did his best to straighten out the creases so he could read what it said. He had to squint to see the writing, because it had faded significantly over the years. Finally, after reading it several times, he understood what it said. He blinked a few times and read it once more to himself.

_Valerian M._

_I have made the switch, although it pained me very much to do so. We must hope against hope that Grindelwald will sense nothing. But even if he does realize that I have switched Lydia and Ariella, I am not worried. I have lived long enough and there is not much left in the world for me to accomplish. I have done my share. After all this misery is through, you shall be handsomely rewarded for your support. I shall give you my living daughter's hand, for I know that is what you desire most._

_A. Dionis_

Draco set the paper down and shook his head. A. Dionis. That was Lydia and Ariella's father, he remembered that much. And he was writing to someone named Valerian M. Was this person significant? Who was he? And what did Ailbert mean when he said that he'd switched Ariella and Lydia?

At that moment, a knock sounded at the attic door, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up from the paper to see Hermione staring back at him.

"You look comfortable," she observed. "Have you found anything interesting? Mum sent me up here to help you if you need it."

Draco nodded. "You have good timing." He held the note out to her. "I found this in one of the books in the sea trunk. Read it and see what you can make of it."

Hermione took it obligingly and looked it over. "It's really faded," she observed. "I can't make anything out."

"Look on the back," Draco instructed. "I wrote it out for you."

"Thank you." Hermione turned the note around and began to read. When she had finished, she looked at Draco again, setting the paper on her lap.

"Do you know who wrote the letter?" he asked. Hermione shook her head no.

"I believe that this letter was written by Lydia's father to another one of Grindelwald's henchmen just before the Arion incident," Draco said, "But what do you think he means by the bit about switching Ariella and Lydia?"

Hermione thought a moment. Then, her eyes widened. "Do you think it means that Ariella is still alive?" she asked.

"How could that be?" Draco was skeptical.

"Well, Ailbert really didn't want Ariella to be sacrificed, right?" Hermione asked.

Draco nodded. "Right."

"So don't you think that he could have done something to make Lydia and Ariella switch bodies before the sacrifice was to take place?"

Draco inhaled sharply. "That seems very interesting."

"Where's the book that this fell out of?" Hermione asked.

Draco rooted around on the attic floor and finally found it. It was a handsome book, bound in maroon leather. On the front in neat gold script was written _A. Dionis._

Hermione opened the book and read over the first page.

"What is it?" Draco asked, looking over her shoulder.

"I think it's Ailbert's diary," Hermione replied. She cleared her throat and read a page from the middle of the diary.

"_September 1, 1940_

_Another meeting at Ramstock tonight. Lord G. wants the vampires on his side and he says we'll need to bribe them if we have any hope of doing so. As the majority of vampires are men, it is certain that the sacrifice will be one of our most beautiful girls. That has me worried, for Lord G. has mentioned in the past about using my Ariella if anything like this ever arose. But I cannot let that happen, although it will mean death for me. I love her too much. But there is hope. Her sister, a squib, is just as pretty as she, but a stain on the family name. If I were to work up a spell to make them switch bodies, I could save my darling daughter. But it is complicated and I shall require assistance. There is a young man who has been after Ariella for some time now, a lad named Valerian Malfoy. I shall tell him that if he gives me his assistance, I shall give him Ariella should she survive this ordeal. When I see him tomorrow, I shall-"_

"Stop!" Draco cried.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked. "I was just getting to the good part!"

"And the name you just read doesn't interest you in the least?"

Hermione looked down at the name again, then back up at Draco. "Who was he?"

Draco swallowed. "He was my grandfather's father."

"All right," Hermione closed the book and stood up. "So we know now that your great-grandfather, and my-"she paused and counted on her fingers. "Great-great grandfather were in dealings to get Ariella out of being sacrificed."

Draco nodded.

"Do you think it actually worked?" Hermione asked. "Do you think they actually switched their bodies?"

Draco paused. A scrap of the dream he'd had in the car on the way over here came to him again, a vision of Gammried telling a younger vampire that Lydia was more valuable to them as a sacrifice then Hermione could ever be. Was that because she was actually Ariella in Lydia's body, and the girl he'd seen burned alive in the fire was actually Lydia?

"There's an easy way to answer that," Draco answered calmly. "We need to go back to the Clan Castle. Ailbert's there. We can ask him in person."

Hermione nodded. "That sounds like a plan. But we need to do a few things first: Number one, make progress with the attic. We won't get any breakfast if we don't. Two, we have to write Professor Dumbledore to tell him what we found, and three, one and two is enough."

And with that, she grabbed the dust cloth and began wiping things off. Eventually, Mrs. Granger came up and told them they had worked enough for the day.

"Thanks Mum," Hermione said as she and Draco followed her mother down the stairs. "But after we eat, Draco and I have to leave again. Another part of the school project just announced itself."

Mrs. Granger protested, but eventually waved the two of them out the front door.

"Where to first?" Hermione asked as the two of them got into the car.

"I need to pick up a few things at home, and then we'll head to the Clan castle."

Hermione nodded. "All right," she then paused, looking wistfully up at her house.

"Don't worry," Draco said. "If all goes well, we'll be back in a week."

Hermione sighed. "Remind me why we're doing this?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Aside from the vampire connections, there might be the possibility we're related."

Hermione frowned. "We aren't, right? We don't know they got married."

"That," Draco said, "is what we need to find out."


	36. Related?

With a determined nod, Hermione gave her normal house one last glance before turning the car on and beginning to drive away from the house. She kept her eyes on the road and didn't speak.

"Things are going to be all right, you know," Draco said suddenly. The car paused at a stoplight and Hermione's hands went tense on the wheel.

"How do you know that?" she asked quietly. "I would think you'd be frightened. After all, you did see the place where the vampires keep guests."

Draco nodded gravely. "I did, and it wasn't a posh mansion. But we really don't have any choice. We _need _to get back to the castle so we can interrogate Ailbert and figure out what happened between Ariella and Valerian."

Hermione groaned and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "Why can't we just ask Valerian then, if that's all we need to know? I bet he's got a nice, comfy place with actual rooms for guests and no rats to speak of."

Draco didn't say anything in response. The truth was, he really didn't know what to say. Valerian had disappeared some time ago and hadn't tried at all to contact the family to say whether or not he was still alive.

"Draco, are you all right?"

Draco looked up at the sound of Hermione's voice. "Of course, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. You just seem nervous. So, can we go to see Valerian, or do we have no other option but to go back to the Clan castle and see Lydia's father?"

Draco shut his eyes tight. "We really have no choice but to go see Ailbert. Valerian disappeared years and years ago, before I was even born, and no one in my family has heard from him since."

Hermione sighed. "All right, then. Do you actually remember the way back to the Clan castle?"

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "I do, but the quickest way there will be damn near difficult with a car. It might be quicker just to apparate ourselves there and leave the car in the garage. You _did_ pass your apparition test, didn't you?"

Hermione turned around slowly and glared at him. "Of course I bloody did! It's _you_ I'm worried about!"

Draco's eyes widened. "Now hold on! Do you honestly think that I would suggest we do something potentially dangerous if I didn't have any idea what I was doing? I passed the test too. Granted, it might have taken me a bit longer then it took you, but I passed it!"

Hermione nodded. "All right. That was all I needed to be sure of." And with that, she got out of the car, shutting the door softly behind her and motioning for Draco to do the same. He shut his car door a bit harder, and then the two of them walked to a far-off corner of the backyard where the neighbors wouldn't see what they were doing. They stood side by side, and Hermione noted that Draco was shaking.

"What's the matter? Are you nervous?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course I'm nervous! This is the first time I've actually used this since I learned how to do it, and if I remember what the instructor said, it's more difficult to do the farther you are away from your desired location. Now, do you remember those words that the instructor told us to get us started off?"

Hermione looked at him with concern. She could see that he was extremely overwrought, so much so it seemed that he should not be trying to handle something as complex and potentially dangerous as apparition when his mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Do you want to do side-along?" she asked finally.

He opened his eyes. "What?"

"Do you want to do side-along apparition?" she repeated.

Draco frowned. "What's that?" he asked.

"Dumbledore did it with Harry before he took his test," she explained. "In our case, it would mean that you hold on to me while I do the apparating myself. You just have to come along with me. It might help alleviate some of that nervousness your feeling."

Draco started to protest that he was perfectly capable of apparting on his own, but eventually, Hermione convinced him that he was too busy thinking about other things to give solo apparition his full attention. He then took her hand and the two of them were at the Clan castle in seconds.

Draco took command of the operation from there, leading Hermione expertly through the dark and twisted corridors until he finally came upon the room that Arion and Gammried had showed him before.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Hermione whispered.

Draco nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Now, we are going to go into the room, and you're going to see a light at the end of the room. That is the cell where Ailbert is being kept, and very possibly Ariella too."

"Why would Ariella be in there?" Hermione asked. "If she's supposed to be in Lydia's body, didn't you free her and send her home awhile ago?"

He nodded. "Yes, but in this dream I had on the way to your house, you know, the one where we got married, you were about to get eaten by vampires, but Lydia, or should I say Ariella, in bat form, stopped you from being bitten. Maybe it wasn't just a dream. Maybe it was a premonition!"

Grabbing Hermione's hand eagerly, Draco sprinted across the dark room and paused in front of the small cell.

"All right," he whispered, "you go down first."

Hermione nodded and perched herself at the edge of the open cell, then letting herself drop down with a soft thump. Draco followed soon after.

They found Ailbert asleep in one of the corners and shook him awake.

"What's going on?" he said sleepily. Then, he seemed to get his wits about him, and he whipped his wand out of his robe pocket.

"All right, now! I'm warning you, stay away from me, blood-sucking fiends, or you'll be sorry!"

Hermione gasped, and Draco held out his hand. "Ailbert, calm down. It's no one dangerous. The vampires have all moved to somewhere else to prepare for the ceremony."

Slowly Ailbert put his wand down, rubbed his eyes and squinted at them. "Who are you?" he asked croakily. "I don't remember things so well anymore."

Draco and Hermione looked at one another for a moment before turning back to Ailbert. "This is a great-great granddaughter of yours," Draco said finally, gesturing at Hermione, "and my name is Draco Malfoy. We came here because we need to ask you something very important."

Happily enough, Ailbert's eyes had lightened when Draco had introduced himself. That was encouraging.

"So you're a Malfoy, you say?" Ailbert asked interestedly. "I knew a lad by the name of Malfoy once. He was a good boy. Told him I'd let him marry Ariella if we lived through the debacle that was the _last _sacrificing ceremony."

"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about," Hermione said, interrupting Ailbert's trip down memory lane. "Did he and Ariella manage to marry?"

Ailbert gazed at Hermione for a moment. "You're a great-great granddaughter? Which daughter of mine do you belong to?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Hermione said patiently. "Now, could you please tell us whether or not Ariella and the Malfoy married?"

Suddenly, they all heard a rustling sound in one of the far corners of the cell. Hermione and Draco watched in shock as a dirty and bedraggled Ariella pulled herself to the center of the cell.

"How are you here?" Draco asked. "Last I saw, you got burned up in a fire!"

Slowly and painfully, Ariella pulled herself to sit up. "If you're here asking questions about Valerian and me," she said brokenly, "I know you've read father's diary. I know that you know all about father switching Lydia's and my bodies so that I could live. I have just removed the spell that father put upon me. This is how I really am. What I really look like. After the body switch, Father sent me away. Since I was essentially my sister, a squib, I no longer had magical powers. I married your great-grandfather, Hermione, and had your grandfather and his sister. Then, when they were still young, Father, in a moment of confusion, sent the vampires after me, thinking that Lydia was me. Arion saved me from death though, and we fell in love and then I gave birth to Fallon."

"But what about you and Valerian?" Hermione asked pleadingly.

Ariella sighed. "Valerian was the reason why I left Fallon and Arion at all. If you want to know whether or not Valerian and I got married, the answer is yes."


	37. Ariella's Story

Draco and Hermione both paled, staring at Ariella with open mouths. "Did you say that you and Valerian _were_ married?" Draco finally managed to choke out.

Ariella nodded. "Yes, of course we were. Is that a problem? The two of you don't look well."

Draco and Hermione looked at each other uncomfortably; both of them still remembering the events leading to what they thought would save Hermione's life.

"Well," Hermione said, blushing deep red, "it's just that at one point recently, our headmaster at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, thought that the only way to save me from becoming a sacrifice to the vampires was for Draco and me to-"

"For me to deflower her, or whatever you want to call it," Draco said quickly, before he could blush. "And if you and Valerian got married, that could make us distant cousins or something."

Ariella gazed at them for a moment, then looked at her father. "Did you hear that, Father?" she asked. "The vampires were going to sacrifice my granddaughter this time around. We must have something in us that attracts the bloodsuckers." When Ailbert nodded, Ariella turned her attention back to Hermione and Draco.

"You two aren't related," she said slowly.

"We aren't?" Hermione asked, surprised. "How's that? Could you explain what went on in all your different relationships again, but slower this time? It's a bit confusing."

Ariella nodded. "Of course. Where do you want to start?"

"Start with what happened after you got sent away," Hermione said immediately. "That's the beginning of the story, isn't it?"

Ariella nodded thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. Anyway, you two already know that I was the prime choice to sacrifice to the vampires under Lord Grindelwald, and that Father wanted me to stay alive despite that, so he made a secret plan with Valerian and the two of them carried it out in the dead of night a day or so before the ceremony was to take place."

Hermione and Draco both nodded.

"The plan was for my squib sister Lydia and I to switch bodies so that Lydia could be sacrificed in my place and I could stay alive. Father thought the plan to be full-proof, but just before it was performed, one of Grindelwald's other henchmen caught Father and Valerian. The spell was performed before anything could be done, but in light of their discovery, Father thought it might be best for me to go away to some quiet, out of the way locale until things calmed down. Valerian wasn't too happy about the arrangement, but he accepted that that was how things had to be.

"The place Father picked for me to hide out was a small muggle village and that was where it all began. While in a book shop one afternoon, I literally ran into a very handsome muggle man by the name of Stanley Granger. He eventually became husband number one for me, and together we had two children: Charles, the elder of the two, eventually became Hermione's grandfather. After him, we had a daughter named Elizabeth.

"When Charles was four and Lizzie was two, Father, back home, was overtaken by mental abstraction and forgot about the switching spell, still thinking that it was me that was at his house. He directed the vampires that had come demanding sacrifice from Grindelwald to the muggle village where I was. They took me, and I never saw Stanley again, or either of our children until Charles began visiting recently.

"The vampires brought me to Ramstock Tower and I was terrified for my life. I had no idea what they were going to do with me. Every day a vampire would bring me food and drink, but none of them actually spoke to me. They put me in a cold iron cell, much bigger then this, but just as uncomfortable. Then the day came; the day that the vampires were to finish me off. They dressed me in a sheer white gown and brought me forward, placing me on my back on a cold metal table. The whole clan seemed to be there, watching me, waiting for me to die. Then, one of the elders called forth the vampire that was to accept me. He came forward and I was surprised to see that it was the same young vampire that had brought me my food and drink. He came and stood over me. I thought he was going to bite immediately, but he just stood there, staring at me. Finally, he looked up at the clan leader who was watching him expectantly.

'May I enjoy her in private?' he asked quietly. His voice made me shiver, for it was quiet and there was no malice in it that I could hear. The clan leader hesitated. I could tell that that was not what he had expected to hear. He and the rest of the elders deliberated, and finally it was deemed permissible for the young man to take me away.

"When we arrived at his bedroom, he placed me on his bed and I waited. I waited for him to pounce, bite and lap up my blood. But he didn't. Finally, I sat up and looked at him.

'Aren't you going to do it?' I asked him. 'Aren't you going to finished me off?' He came over to me and looked at me with sad eyes, shaking his head and taking my hands in his.

'No,' he said finally.' When I asked him why not, he said it was because he was too lonely to do so, that he was in love with me and wanted to be with me forever. I didn't know what to do then, but accepted, thinking that this would probably save my life. After that, we exchanged blood and he went out into the village and found another young woman who resembled me, draining her and showing her as evidence to the elders of my demise. They didn't seem too particular, and accepted his lie as fact."

"That wouldn't work now," Hermione interrupted bitterly. "I got loose once and the clan put a guard on me."

Ariella nodded. "I'm not surprised. That's probably because of what Arion and I did. Anyway, after he came back from showing off the other young woman, he introduced himself to me. It seemed odd timing, but I didn't care. After that, Arion got the clan leader to send him on a recruiting mission in America and I went with him. There, Arion officially became husband number two and I gave birth to child number three, Fallon. The years that followed were good enough, despite the fact that I was a vampire and had to feed on other souls to survive. Then, one day about a decade or so after my kidnapping from Stanley, there was a knock on the door of my house. Arion and Fallon were out, so I thought they had come home, though they had never knocked before. I went to open the door and got the shock of my life. There, standing on the other side of the door was not my husband, but my former paramour Valerian Malfoy, who I hadn't seen for several years, and who of course know my true identity.

"I immediately backed away from the door in shock and he came inside the house. He looked at me appraisingly for a moment before deciding he'd come to the right place.

'Ariella,' he asked, just to be sure, 'is that you?' I nodded.

'What brings you here? And so late? About ten years too late! I'm married now, so I'm sorry Valerian, but whatever deal you and father had can't be.' I tried to sound firm.

"Valerian didn't say a word, just gazed at his sorroundings as if he'd never seen anything so amusing in his life. 'You choose to live here?' he asked then. 'In this shack? You could fit about five of these in my father's house!'

'Well,' I replied icily, 'if you'd been here on time, like you and Father's deal stipulated, then I'd be living with you in your father's precious mansion! But you were late, and I'd much rather be happy in a shack then miserable in a mansion!'

"Valerian glared at that. 'My tardiness is not my fault,' he replied. 'Your father told me where you were only last week. When I went to the place he indicated, you were gone. It was no walk in the park trying to find you, believe me.' We spent the rest of the time fighting and he left a few hours later without a word.

"Later, around midnight, I was awakened by the sound of voices in my room. I opened my eyes and gasped at two shapes looming over my bed. Before I could even make a sound, the shapes picked me up and carried me to the front parlor where they forced me to write a farewell note to Arion and Fallon. Then they took me away, into the night, and straight to Valerian's father's house, being that they were two of his thugs and acting on his orders."

"Wait," Hermione said suddenly. "You married Valerian, yet all he did was bully you and disrespect you and kidnap you? Why did you do it?"

Ariella gazed at the two of them, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I spent a lot of time with him, and after awhile, I got used to his ways. One day, his cousin came to visit, and the cousin was even worse if you can believe it. Valerian and I bonded over our sheer hatred of him."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other again. This story was starting to sound uncomfortably familiar.

"Now on to the important part," Ariella said suddenly, causing them to look at her again. "Valerian and I had two children. The first one, a girl named Margaret, was stillborn, and the second, a boy named Lucas, who died mysteriously before begetting any children of his own. This is why you two aren't related."

"Do you know where Valerian is now?" Draco asked. "No one in my family's heard from him for years."

Ariella looked at Draco thoughtfully for a moment. "He was heartbroken after Lucas's death. I went to bed beside him one night, then the next morning, he was gone. Then, I read in the papers that he was in another place and that he'd married again. Can I assume your grandfather was born from that union?"

Draco nodded. "I guess so."

Then Ariella shook her head. "I can't tell you anymore. I'm sorry."

Draco and Hermione just nodded, thanking Ariella and asking her if she and Ailbert wanted to leave with them, since the vampires were no longer in residence, and wouldn't know they were missing. Ariella thanked them gratefully, and one at a time, the four of them boosted themselves out of the small cellar room, and made their way out of the castle.

A/n- if anyone needs specific bits of explanation of the family tree, just PM me, and I'll fill in the holes.

-NSB


	38. The Journey

When they were a safe distance away from the castle, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Where are we going to go now?" Ariella asked Hermione and Draco. "There aren't any hotels or anything around here are there?"

Hermione thought a moment. She could vaguely remember Arion taking her somewhere one of the times she had been caught up here. Maybe it hadn't just been a dream.

"I might know where we can stay," she said finally. The group looked at her expectantly. "There's a hotel around here somewhere that Arion brought me to for the night a while back."

"Do you remember how to get there?" Draco asked. "That might just be what we're looking for."

Hermione nodded. "I think I remember where it is. Everyone get on your brooms and follow me."

The party pushed up from the ground, Ariella fretting the entire time about how they might get caught or arrested, and all get taken back to the castle.

"I don't think you'll have to worry much about that," Draco assured her. "If the vampires didn't take you when they left, they might not need you so urgently anymore."

Ariella nodded after awhile, but all could see that she still looked troubled. She

tried not to linger on what might result from leaving the castle. Instead, she tried to enjoy it as the breeze blew through her hair, and marveled at the beauty of the setting sun in the sky.

"Where are we going again, Hermione?" she called up after awhile.

"The hotel isn't far from here," Hermione answered back. "It's about another mile or so. Once we're there, you and Ailbert will get us a room and you're going to stay there. Draco and I need to go back to the Manor for a little while, to check up on a few things. Then, we will come back and have more of a chat. There are still some pieces of this very twisted puzzle that need sorting out."

"All right," Ariella answered back.

A short while later, the party entered the inn on the side of the mountain and were greeted by the smiling witch at the reception desk.

"Will there be four of you rooming with us this evening?" she asked, looking all of them over.

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione replied.

"All right then, I'll put you in room twelve. The Aurora Borealis happens at midnight, and the window in there will give you a great view of it."

"Thank you," Hermione replied again. As soon as they were all settled, Hermione took Draco aside.

"Did you pack for an overnight trip?" she asked. "Because I don't have any extra clothes. I think all my things are back at the Manor."

Draco rolled his eyes and groaned. "This is perfect. We were just at your bloody house. Did it occur to you to grab some of your stuff out of your bedroom then?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not really, but in my defense, I didn't realize we'd have to room anywhere. I thought we'd get the information we needed, then come straight back."

Draco nodded. "Well, I'm fine. You can go if you want to, but I really think that I should stay here with Ailbert and Ariella. I mean, it's quite obvious that they haven't been in civilized society for quite some time."

With that, he opened the bathroom door, and the two of them stared at Ailbert and Ariella, who were trying to figure out the inner workings of the new levitating model beds.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the two of them screeched, throwing themselves behind the beds. Draco sighed and went to answer the door, taking his bag from the man on the other side and giving him some money for bringing it up.

As soon as he was gone, Hermione walked over to the bed Ariella was huddled behind. "It's all right," she said gently. "That wasn't anyone dangerous, just a man with Draco's bag of clothes."

Her calm voice brought Ariella and Ailbert out from behind the beds, and Hermione instructed them to have a seat so they could hear what was going on.

"Now, I didn't anticipate an overnight stay, so I need to leave for a bit to retrieve some pajamas and my toothbrush. Draco will remain here with you two to make sure nothing weird happens, all right?"

Ailbert's eyes widened a fraction and he nodded mutely. Ariella simply sat without a word. Hermione looked at Draco. "I shouldn't take more then half an hour. In the mean time, see if you can get Ariella to tell you why she never tried to go back to Arion after Valerian's goons kidnapped her."

Draco nodded and watched the door as she exited the room, sighing as she shut it behind her.

* * *

Hermione mounted her broom, anxiety coursing through her body. Something kept her thinking that it might have been a better idea to make Draco come with her. What if something bad happened while she was gone? As if to answer her question, it immediately began to rain as soon as she and her broom were up in the sky, with thunder booming soon after. Hermione struggled to keep a good grip on the slick, wet handle of her broom, and more then once, she was almost upset by the raging winds. 

Finally, after hours of struggle, she made it to the Manor, very cold and very wet. She knocked on the door, which was promptly answered by one of the house-elves, who bowed her inside and began fretting over her immediately.

"This weather is not good for flying in, no it isn't. Twinkle is certain mistress is ill. Mistress must rest and Twinkle will get some hot tea."

"No, I'm all right, Twinkle. That isn't necessary." The house-elf stared at her for a moment, her big eyes wide. She looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. Then, tears began to flow from her eyes.

"Oh, dear, oh dear! If Mistress dies, Twinkle will be given clothes for sure, she will. Twinkle will say she tried to do what was best for Mistress, but people will still think that Twinkle made Mistress be killed! Then, she won't find work anywhere!"

Hermione watched as the elf sobbed and tears and mucus mingled on the front of her already heavily-stained tea cozy. She felt fine, but she knew the house-elf would feel better if she had a cup of tea.

"All right, Twinkle. I think I would like a cup of tea, and I do feel a bit sleepy. If you would just bring the tea up to my room, that would be perfect."

Twinkle's eyes lit up immediately at Hermione's request. "Yes, Mistress! Twinkle will bring you your tea right away!"

Hermione sighed as the elf left her. It seemed that she'd be here longer then anticipated. She managed to find her room and rooted around in the armoire for a pair of pajamas. As she rifled, she began to notice that there were voices coming up clearly from one of the downstairs rooms. She picked a pair of pajamas, then sat on the bed to listen to what the voices were saying.

* * *

"…And Ariella, why didn't you attempt to go back to Arion after Valerian had you kidnapped? From the sound of things, it seems like the two of you being together was just something your father wanted." 

Back at the hotel, Draco and Ariella were further conversing about the triangle that was her love life.

Ariella sighed and looked at him. "I was something Valerian couldn't afford to lose," she explained. He had people watching me every minute of the day, especially in the beginning. He never trusted any vampire, even though I told him several times that Arion was a good man and that he would never try and hurt me."

At this news, Draco collapsed back on the bed. "So you're saying that you tried to go see Arion while you were with Valerian, but he wouldn't let you because he didn't trust vampires and was convinced that if he let you near one, you'd be killed?"

Ariella nodded. "That's the story. He had good intentions, I suppose. They were just a bit extreme."

Draco stood up from the bed and began to pace around the room impatiently. He really wanted Hermione to get back from the Manor so that he could share this latest piece of news with her. He sighed and walked over to the window, staring out of it. Where was she? Had something bad happened to her?

Just then, an owl, like the ones from Hogwarts, soared through the window, and Draco noticed that it had a note attached to its leg. Eagerly, he took the note, reading it quickly.

_Draco,_

_I have just received some intelligence that Miss Granger is nearly in peril. Voldemort has taken the curse off of your parents, and it has just been discovered that Ariella and Ailbert are no longer at the Clan Castle. Finally, I have one more bit of information that I wish to impart: Come to Hogwarts as fast as you can, but not before you rescue Miss Granger. There is someone staying in Slytherin Tower who desires a chat with both of you. It's a matter of urgency._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Draco put the note back down on the bed, apprehension filling every inch of his body. He glanced at Ariella and Ailbert who were watching him intently.

"Interesting note, boy?" Ailbert asked gruffly.

Draco nodded. "Yes. Now, I know Hermione said to stay here, but she has encountered a bit of trouble and I need to go get her out of it. Ailbert, do you remember where Hogwarts is?"

Ailbert nodded. "I do."

"Well, you take Ariella, and the two of you go to Slytherin Tower. Wait there for me and Hermione. I'll go check us out before I leave."

Ailbert nodded. "Of course. Slytherin Tower. It's been awhile since I've been there."

Draco nodded. "I bet. The headmaster's name is Albus Dumbledore. Make sure he knows we're coming. Oh, and one last thing: If you wouldn't mind, there's someone at the tower waiting to have a chat with all of us. Tell them too." And with that, he shut the door behind him, leaving Ariella and Ailbert alone.


	39. Someone So Familiar

After Draco's departure, Ailbert and Ariella stared at the door for a few more moments before finally snapping out of their stupors.

"You heard what the boy said," Ailbert barked at his daughter. "We have to leave this place and head to Slytherin tower. And if I remember my directions right, Hogwarts is still far away from here, so we'd best get a move on."

"In a minute, Father," replied Ariella, who'd hopped off her bed as soon as she'd heard the door close and sauntered to the opposite bed where the note lay. She picked it up and opened it, gasping as she read what it said.

"This note says the vampires know we're missing!" she cried as soon as she'd finished. Her heart was racing and she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

Ailbert growled. "Damn bloodsuckers. Knew we wouldn't be able to keep the charade up long.

"So what are we going to do?" Ariella asked. "There are probably hordes of them outside this very hotel, just waiting to pounce the second we head out the front doors."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door to the hotel room. After a few minutes of bickering about who would answer it, Ariella approached the door cautiously, bracing herself in case someone dangerous was on the other side.

She needn't have worried however. The person who faced her was a very tall, very thin old man with long, silver hair and a crooked nose, and blue eyes surrounded by half-moon spectacles. Behind him, there were two boys, one a red-head, and another whose hair was jet black.

"May I presume that you are Ariella Dionis Granger Rosier Malfoy?" he inquired as he stepped into the hotel room without invitation. Ariella's eyes widened in shock, and she watched him as he sat on the bed that she'd left only moments before. The boys followed and sat on either side of a table next to the window.

Finally, Ariella managed a nod. "I guess I am, but it seems so strange to be addressed that way."

He nodded. "Ariella, my name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the current headmaster at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The two boys I've brought along with me are Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. They are close friends of your great-granddaughter Hermione."

The two boys said nothing, but inclined their heads in greeting.

"Sir, I don't mean to interrupt," interjected Ariella quickly, "but in your note, you state that Hermione is almost in grave danger and that the vampires are aware of my father's and my escape from the Clan Castle prison."

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "That is true." He paused and looked around the room. "Can I assume from the fact that I do not see him that Draco has gone off to rescue Hermione?"

Ailbert nodded. "You can. Just before you came, Ariella and I were pondering how to get out of here, seeing as the vampires probably have a price on our heads."

"We figured that you might be having trouble with that," said the boy called Harry Potter. "That's why we came: to escort you to Hogwarts and keep the vampires at bay."

At his words, Ariella let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "You mean you're going to take us to Hogwarts so that the vampires don't get us?"

Dumbledore nodded. "And when we arrive at Slytherin tower, there will be someone waiting for you that I think you will be very grateful to see. Now, let's leave here and get on our way."

Ailbert and Ariella nodded, following Dumbledore, Harry and Ron out of the hotel. As soon as they got out the doors, Ron looked around. "Sir," he said, addressing Dumbledore, "do you really think it's safe for these two to be riding around on brooms out in the open where anyone can get at them?"

Dumbledore looked at Ron for a moment, then shook his head. "I really don't, Mr. Weasley. Look." He directed everyone's attention to a crowd that had just flocked out of a neighboring hotel in a panic.

"There's a sign on the front door of that hotel," Ariella observed, squinting.

"Can you tell what it says?" Harry asked her."

She nodded. "I think it says 'closed due to bat infestation' or something like that." She looked at Dumbledore. "You don't think that the vampires would attack innocent muggles because father and I were let out, do you?"

Dumbledore just looked troubled. "I'm afraid we cannot put it past them. Your loss was quite a blow, and they will do whatever they can."

"Well if that's the case," Ailbert broke in roughly, "don't you think we'd better be getting a move on?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. Let's just leave the brooms here and send them back to wherever they came from. We brought a car."

He gestured grandly at the vehicle they'd brought with them. It was a Ford Anglia that was red and in much better condition then the one he and Harry had crashed into the Whomping Willow.

Ariella eyed it apprehensively, however. "Are you sure that thing is really safe?" she asked nervously.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Will you lighten up? Didn't Hermione's great-grandfather ever drive?"

"Yes, he did," Ariella admitted somewhat reluctantly. "And come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I did too, once. But it's been such a long time, and this looks nothing like what Stanley drove."

Ailbert prodded her back gently. "Don't worry so much, my dear. I don't think you'll be the one doing the driving. That's up to these two lads. Now get in, quickly."

Ariella nodded and got inside with her father and Dumbledore following her into the backseat. Ron and Harry, meanwhile, sat upfront with Ron driving and Harry doing navigation.

"You know, I think Hogwarts is a left turn from that dim streetlamp over there," Harry observed, staring out the window."

Ron shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure it isn't. I think we need to go past the stoplight and down the road for a bit. I think it's at the end of a fork in the road."

Their passengers began to worry. "Do they know where they're going?" Ariella asked Dumbledore in a stage whisper. Dumbledore's lip quirked slightly as he turned towards the window.

"Apparently not." He pulled himself between Harry and Ron. "Harry, Hogwarts was back there. We passed it while you two were having that passionate discussion about the Chudley Cannons."

"Oh." Harry sighed and Ron's ears went pink as he turned the car and began driving in the opposite direction with Dumbledore intoning directions from the backseat.

* * *

Draco had forgone all rational driving speeds as he raced on his broom back to the Manor. He hoped Dumbledore was wrong, but it wasn't likely. The man was very sharp. He lit on the ground and abandoned his broom in a flash, running so fast to the door that by the time he reached it, he was panting and had a stitch in his side. 

He knocked on the door for a long time. When the door opened, he readied himself to scold the slow house elf on the other side. What he wasn't counting on however, was the door being answered by two very large, menacing men, built very similarly to Crabbe and Goyle. One cracked his knuckles as he watched Draco, then stepped back to reveal his buddy, who held a wand in one hand and a very uncooperative Hermione in the other.

Draco and the goons stared at one another for a moment before the one that had hold of Hermione croaked out, "you live here?"

Draco nodded. "I do. What's going on here?"

Both men stared at Draco and laughed, the one standing closest to him spitting on the floor to show that it would be a cold day in hell before Draco got any information. As he watched them, Draco tried not to wince.

Finally, he straightened up and stepped into the Manor. The men followed, the one with the wand dragging a very resistant Hermione behind him. In the front foyer, Draco was surprised to see his mother and father sitting on one of the couches having their tea.

"Mother," he asked Narcissa, "can you tell me what is going on here?"

Narcissa looked up at him for a moment as if she'd never seen him before. Then she blinked and smiled. "Nothing's going on, Draco. Your father and I just thought we'd have some friends over for a visit. Things were getting on well until one of them discovered an intruder upstairs. I ordered Victor and Tom here to go get her and bring her here. As you can see, they've done a remarkably good job."

Draco was not pleased. "How come they don't know about me?"

Narcissa laughed. "Well, dear they are fairly new acquisitions. You haven't been properly introduced, have you?" she motioned for him to come and sit beside her. He did, and she motioned for the two men to come forward.

"Tom, Victor, this is my son Draco." They nodded and so did he. After awhile, Narcissa spoke, glaring at Hermione.

"Someone is going to have to watch the intruder tonight. It's too late to do anything about her now."

"I'll do it," Draco volunteered, surprising Narcissa, Lucius and the two new goons.

"But why would you want to?" Lucius asked, gazing at Hermione with his usual contemptuous expression. "She's clearly worthless. Why don't we just throw her in the street and let her kind take her back into the fold."

Draco shook his head. "No, it's really all right." He looked at Victor. "You can release her now. She's not going anywhere."

Victor nodded, lowered his wand and roughly pushed Hermione away from himself and into Draco's waiting arms. She then allowed him to lead her back up to her room, where he sat down on the bed and asked her the question he'd been wanting answered all night.

"What's going on here?"

Hermione grimaced and massaged her shoulder where Victor had had a hold of her. "I can't really tell you much," she answered slowly, "Except that your mother, father and grandmother are all suffering from some sort of post spell side effect that makes them forget things. They seem relatively normal though, so I think it'll wear off eventually. Voldemort has ordered that this be the place where the wizards will prepare themselves for Halloween."

Draco grimaced and moved to sit beside her on the bed. "I can't believe it. We were so caught up with the vampires we forgot about what was going on right underneath our noses."

Hermione nodded, then the two of them lapsed into silence. Finally, Draco looked up and spoke. "What are they going to do with you now that they've got you?"

"They're taking me back to the current vampire hideout so that I may receive proper punishment for behavior unbecoming a sacrifice," Hermione replied. "And we're leaving tomorrow, bright and early."

Draco shook his head. "That's not true," he said. "You and I are leaving for Hogwarts right now. There's someone in Slytherin tower who wishes to have a discussion with you, me, Ariella and Ailbert."

"Who is it?" Hermione asked anxiously.

Draco shrugged. "I have no idea."

"We'd better hurry if we're leaving. How are we leaving?"

Draco paused at her words. He'd only brought one broom. That couldn't carry both of them. He stopped to think, and Hermione's face fell when he didn't respond. Just then, they heard the revving of an engine outside the bedroom window, followed by shouting and footsteps from downstairs. The footsteps came closer to the bedroom door as the engine grew louder. Just before Draco's grandmother and the other Death Eaters reached the bedroom, Hermione and Draco were whisked out the bedroom window by a man who was smiling widely and clutching a wand with Harry and Ron in the front seats of the Anglia beside him. The two of them had never seen him before in their lives, but somehow, he looked very familiar to both of them. The man in the front seat looked exactly like Draco.

As they got into the car, they noticed Dumbledore sitting in the shadows. He smiled as they gazed at the man, dumbfounded. Finally, he enlightened them.

"Hermione, Draco, this is who's been waiting for you at Slytherin Tower. That's why we came to fetch you. We were getting a bit worried when you didn't show up. Once we get back to Hogwarts, we will devise a plan to combat these latest developments with the Death Eaters and the vampires." He paused. "Or should I say, at least a more concrete plan. The only one we have right now is for the two of you to stay at Hogwarts under this young man's watchful eye." He indicated the driver, who smiled at them.

Draco sneered. "What makes you think he can do it? We have an entire clan of vampires on our tails, not to mention my grandparents."

Dumbledore just looked at him knowingly. "If I recall, Ariella also had vampires and wizards after her, but no harm came to her under his watch. Draco, this is Valerian Malfoy. Do not press me with how he got here just now. I would much rather explain it by the fire in the Slytherin common room."


	40. Priori Chronus

Finally, after what seemed like a million years, the Anglia arrived at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore had Valerian park it behind the Whomping Willow, but far enough away from it that no one got injured as they exited the vehicle. Harry and Ron walked on ahead with Dumbledore, but Draco and Hermione stayed behind with Valerian, who seemed eager to get back inside the castle.

Once inside, Draco and Hermione lost Valerian in his eagerness and were left to find Slytherin Tower on their own. It could have been a quick trip, but they took their time, discussing how Valerian could have gotten to Hogwarts considering the fact that he'd been missing for a very long time, and from what they saw, he looked way too young to have just suddenly appeared from regular means.

When they finally arrived in the dungeons, the rest of the group was sitting by the fire, and watched them as they entered with strange expressions on their faces.

"What kept you two?" Ron asked grumpily. "Dumbledore told us he wouldn't say a thing until everyone was here! I've been dying of curiosity!"

"You look plenty alive to me, Ronald Weasley," Hermione retorted. "And not that it's any of your business, but Draco and I decided to take the scenic route."

Harry's eyes widened at that, and Ron snorted. "What exactly is 'the scenic route'?" he asked. "Or do I want to know?"

At that moment, Dumbledore motioned for Draco and Hermione to sit down and then he cleared his throat.

"I assume that everyone here except me wonders what this young man beside me is doing here?" the rest of the room nodded and he continued. "Well, with the vampire crisis as bad as it is unfortunately becoming, I thought it would do us no harm to summon a little help in our endeavor." He paused. "As I have said, this is Valerian Malfoy, great-grandfather of Draco, and protector and husband of Ariella.

"Now, as to how he got here, that matter is very simple and only requires me to give you two words: Priori Chronus."

Hermione frowned. It sounded like a spell, but if it was, it was one she'd never heard before.

"Sir," she called to Dumbledore, "what exactly is Priori Chronus? Is it a spell?"

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, Miss Granger. It is a spell, but one whose use is frowned upon by the Ministry. It is a spell that can be used to bring the caster back to a specific moment in time. But it is much more complex then the simple time travel spell it seems to be. It requires much of the caster. Much will and much power. What you must do to cast Priori Chronus is have a very strong desire in mind, something you would like to accomplish in the time in which you find yourself. Only then will it be able to be cast. And the spell cannot be used for selfish purposes. That, you see, is why the spell is regulated and frowned upon by the Ministry. At one point, there were no restrictions on it, and people were going back in time in a very reckless manner. Histories were being changed; people were disappearing because their ancestors were being influenced by individuals that had no idea of the power of the spell. In fact, if I remember correctly, it even caused me to become the Minister of Magic for a couple of days early in this century.

"After the catastrophe, only a few were allowed to know of the spell's existence. These people could perform it, because they would use it responsibly, and not use it for gain or their own purposes."

"You are one of those people, aren't you, sir?" asked Draco.

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed I am, Draco. But enough about the spell itself. Back to Valerian. I remember enough of history to be able to recall the debacle that occurred because of Grindelwald's desire to rein in the vampires and their powers. It was a terrible time, and I have no desire to see it happen again, especially not to someone like Miss Granger. So I asked myself what the best solution would be, and it came to me during an early morning trip to the bathroom for a drink of water. That day, I had been in my office reading through all the books I own on vampires. Then, suddenly, I heard a noise from the other side of my office. I looked up, and saw that my pensieve seemed to be smoking. That was something strange. I stood up and walked over to it, looking down into its depths. Then, I felt myself fall. The memory I landed in was one I hadn't thought of in many years. I was standing in the middle of a road leading down to a lost-looking village. Beside me was Armando Dippet, who had been headmaster of Hogwarts at the time. This, in fact, was Armando's memory. One of the houses had a light in one of the windows that was blinking and so strong that it was visible even where I stood. I walked with Armando down into the village, and found myself in front of a rather sizeable house, one that I recognized, although why that particular house called to us, I had yet to understand. Armando knocked on the door, and a young man answered, Valerian himself.

"He and Armando began discussing plans for Valerian to leave the house. For some reason, the plan was for no one to breathe a word of Valerian's whereabouts once he was gone, especially not to Ariella. Armando nodded his agreement, and Valerian left, but not before he made one last request: "Take care of her too, sir. She'll need it when she wakes up tomorrow." Then, he disappeared into the night, never to be seen again by another living soul.

"Armando then walked into the house and straight to the master bedroom, where he gazed for a moment upon the young women I perceived to be the one to be cared for.

"Ariella," Draco said quietly. Dumbledore nodded.

"After that scene, I found myself back in my office, wondering why the pensieve had shown me that memory. I disregarded it and went back to my books. Later, it smoked again. This time, I was brought into the night of Ariella's kidnapping and installment with Valerian."

"How do you have all these memories, sir?" Hermione asked.

"I got them from Armando, who got them from Valerian. Armando told me that I would have more use for them someday, though I have no idea why he thought that.

"I went to bed that night puzzled by my journeys into the pensieve. Normally, it does not behave that way, and that left me wondering. Then, in the bathroom, it finally came together: I would use Priori Chronus to retrieve Valerian so he could watch over Hermione.

"I did the spell the next day, explaining to him once he was here what the problem was. I was surprised by how quickly he agreed to what I put before him."

At that moment, Valerian, who had been staring into the fire, looked up at Dumbledore. "Where is Ariella? You said she would be here as well."

At that moment, everyone looked at each other. They had just realized that Ailbert and Ariella had not arrived yet. But before Dumbledore could answer, there was a knock at the door, and then Ariella and Ailbert stumbled inside.

"Sorry," Ariella called. "We got lost."

At that moment, Valerian stood up. "Ariella, is it really you?"

At the sight of him, Ariella's eyes widened. "Valerian?" she looked at Dumbledore, astonished. "He's the one that wants to talk to us?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I summoned him here because I thought he'd be good protection."

Ariella nodded. "He is that. Perhaps a bit too good. But I'd be careful. He just might leave in the middle of the night without a word if you don't watch him carefully."

At that, Valerian froze and frowned. "You have no idea why I did what I did," he said dangerously.

Ariella shook her head. "Of course not. Nor does anyone else. Would you like to enlighten us now? I'm not going to have you around protecting Hermione if you're just going to leave her in the dust like you did me."

Valerian growled. "Well fine! I will enlighten you if that's what you want so badly. Then, maybe you can tell me why you've become so damn hostile!"

"Whatever time Valerian came from, I bet they aren't missing him," Ron whispered to Harry as he and Harry watched the reunion progress into a mindless screaming match.

A/n ten reviews at least before I update, and I really can't wait to tell you Valerian's story!


	41. A Passionate Confession

Hermione and Draco were watching the argument as well, and not really comprehending what was going on. Every time Valerian would try to explain anything, Ariella would get upset and hit him. After twenty minutes of fighting, he was in the fetal position on the floor, pinching the bridge of his broken nose to stem the stream of blood that was flowing from it, while Ariella just watched him with a self-righteous expression on her face without saying anything.

As Ron watched, he elbowed Hermione and gave Draco a smirk. "Let's see. Who does this scene remind me of? Oh, yeah. You two! You remember third year, Malfoy when you were strutting around about getting Hagrid sacked and you made Hermione so mad she broke your nose too? That was one of the best moments of my life." He paused. "Well, that and when Professor Moody turned you into a ferret." He laughed softly to himself.

Hermione didn't think it as funny. In fact, she gave Ron an elbow in his ribs for even bringing up the subject. She felt a teeny bit sorry for doing it in retrospect, but at the same time, she was proud of herself for showing Draco that he wasn't king of the world, and that he couldn't just do whatever he wanted and say whatever and expect her to accept it.

She started when Draco touched her. "Do you think we should go break up this lovely, touching reunion before somebody gets killed?" he asked.

She pushed him gently aside so she could see what was going on. The yelling had subsided and Valerian was still on the floor, bleeding heavily, and not moving except for his breath. "It looks done to me."

"Maybe we should talk to them, before Ariella gets it in her head to beat up Valerian anymore." He smiled at her. "You know, it doesn't really seem like the two of you are related; you are smart and calm and pretty, whereas _she_" he nodded toward Ariella, "is an insane monster who goes around beating up perfectly decent people for no reason!"

Hermione saw red. "Are you saying that a relative of mine is insane?" she asked him, her fists starting to shake. "From what I've heard, _your _great-grandfather's behavior can hardly be considered perfectly decent. In fact, I think it's cruel, chauvinistic and just plain savage. What kind of a decent person sends his monstrous goons swooping down on a perfectly happy person who has a perfectly decent life already just so he can have her himself and leave her high and dry once he's done with her? Explain that to me, or else you are going to see that the apple does not fall far from the tree. As Ronald mention earlier, I have an 'insane monster,' as you call it, inside of me too, and it's just dying to meet you again."

Draco was backing away from her now as she advanced on him. He was surprised, because he hadn't thought she'd take his compliment the wrong way. Suddenly, he felt himself back into somebody. He turned around and found himself looking up at Dumbledore. "Excuse me, sir," he apologized. "I didn't see you standing there."

"I don't see why you would have been able to Draco," Dumbledore answered good-naturedly. "When your mind was very wisely elsewhere." He looked over Draco's head at Hermione, whose hands were still balled into fists. "Miss Granger, I trust you are finished?"

Hermione flushed slightly and nodded. "Yes I am, sir," and she strode over to where Ariella sat without even a word of apology. Once everyone was calmed down, Dumbledore motioned for their attention again.

"Now that everyone has had a chance to get reacquainted, I think it would be in our best interest to get on with the business at hand. Harry, Mr. Weasley, I thank you for accompanying me on this errand, but you are needed once more at the Burrow, so we must say goodbye to you."

Harry and Ron nodded and each one gave Hermione a hug before they left to find their things. "I promise I will pay really close attention to Valerian's story so I can write it down for you two," she assured them as they parted. Once they were gone, Dumbledore turned his attention to Ailbert, who hadn't said a word since he'd entered the room with his daughter.

"Ailbert," he asked, "What do you think of all this?"

"I think my daughter was in her rights to give that scoundrel a wallop," Ailbert finally croaked. "If she hadn't gotten to him first, I'd a done it myself." He stood up from the plush chair he'd been sitting in and crossed the room until he was standing over Valerian's prone body.

"After all that planning, boy. I trusted you to keep my most precious possession safe, and what do you do? You mistreat her in the worst possible way, and then abandon her, and you couldn't have picked a worse time, after everything that happened, she needed you, and damn it, you know you needed her."

At the sound of the voice, Valerian began to moan and slowly, clutching his nose, he began to sit up. Draco watched him for a moment, then gave him his hand to help him up the rest of the way. Once Valerian was up, he looked from his own descendent to the incredibly angry family glaring daggers at him.

"You have no idea why I did what I did, so I'll tell you. Even though, knowing what I do, I don't feel I need to justify anything to any of you. Just knowing that I did right is enough for me. However,"

He walked bravely over to the three who opposed him and looked them in the eye each in turn. Then, he faced Ailbert once more.

"Ever since the day I left, the circumstances of home always lurked in the back of my head. I love once, and when I try to share that love some more, things just fall apart. I get a daughter born dead, and a young son found murdered in his bedroom, on his forehead a dark sign, a sign of evil. There was a note on his pillow, written in blood, saying that if I didn't join his killers in their quest, they would do away with Ariella, the one person I held dear above everything else. But if I did join them, they would spare her and leave her be, always. I made a plan with the headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet, to put up a guard on her at all times. I didn't trust the Dark Souls to keep their word. And yet, here she stands, when she could very well be dead and buried by the darkness. So I beg you, sir. Although you think me horrible, soulless, depraved, look at your daughter, look at her long and hard, and just be glad that she's here, because I can assure you, that if I hadn't left, that wouldn't be the case. I protected your most precious possession, and I protected her well."

After he finished his speech, he sat back down and the room was silent except for the crackling of the fire. Hermione felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach, and Ariella looked near tears. She looked at Dumbledore.

"Professor, did you know all this?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, but I figured that it would have more meaning if you heard it from Valerian and not from me."

Ariella nodded and walked towards the chair, slowing placing a shaking hand on Valerian's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Valerian didn't face her, but he gave her a barely perceptible nod. "I guess I should have told headmaster Dippet to tell you a little bit of something, but I didn't want to worry you. I know how you get in situations like that, being so noble and valiant and all."

As he and Hermione watched this part of the conversation, Draco couldn't help but turn to Hermione and give her a look.

"Are you going to tell me that you're sorry now?" he asked her.

She paused for a moment. "I don't know if what I did warrants an apology. I mean, you aren't bleeding, or unconscious, or writhing on the floor uncontrollably."

His eyes widened. "I don't believe you! If Dumbledore hadn't stopped you, I probably would be dead by now!"

Hermione sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry. But in the future, if you're going to compliment somebody, don't include words like 'you're related to an insane monster' okay?"

Dumbledore suddenly cleared his throat. "Now that everyone is feeling better, may I suggest that the six of us go to the place where you will be staying until this mess plays out? I have a feeling you will be there for quite awhile, and I want you to know it well."

Ariella nodded and helped Valerian stand up, while Ailbert followed. Then, Hermione and Draco brought up the rear, shouting claims to the frontseat of the car. They got their wish, and soon the party was on their way to their new home: a place called Alstere House.

A/n- remember, 10 reviews at least to update!


	42. The Ingenious Plan

Ariella shifted in her seat so that she was even closer to Valerian and watched Hermione and Draco with a strange smile on her face. They seemed to get along well enough. They were debating with one another about the purpose of Alstere House, and what exactly Dumbledore had meant when he said that he thought they'd be there for a long time. But she knew. She and Valerian had asked Dumbledore about the relationship between their descendants, and were not surprised at his answer that before this summer, due to family pride and all that he was brought up on, Draco had looked down upon Hermione due to the fact that, as far as he'd known, she was a muggle-born witch. And that Hermione had thought of Draco as conceited, manipulative and just plain bad. But she'd watched them since they'd come to rescue her and her father from the dungeon of the Clan Castle, and something told her that there was more between them then just mutual dislike.

"What are you thinking about?" Valerian asked her suddenly, his breath ruffling her hair.

"I was just thinking that it should be our mission to bring those two together," she said, gesturing at Draco and Hermione. "Don't you sense something between them?"

Valerian nodded. "I do. And I think that somehow, they know it's there too, they're just too stubborn to admit it, even to themselves."

Ariella smiled. "Once we land, I say we start our mission by getting them to talk to us separately about their relationship, man to man, woman to woman. The first step will be for us to know what we're dealing with."

Valerian nodded once more, and the two of them smiled to themselves, happy with their clever plan.

* * *

They arrived at Alstere House, landing on the lawn with a soft thump. Dumbledore, who'd been driving, let everyone out and then went to park the car while the rest of them went inside. 

As they entered the foyer, Hermione let out a gasp at what she saw. The house was really one of the grandest she'd ever seen. She walked up the stairs, admiring the paintings that lined the staircase, although most of the people in them seemed familiar.

"Draco," she asked him, for he'd decided to follow her up, "do the people in these paintings seem familiar to you?"

He followed her gaze to a portrait of a rather sour-looking man, who looked vaguely familiar. "Yes, I feel some connection with them. But I swear I've never been here before in my life."

Hermione nodded, and was so distracted by trying to figure out this puzzling new mystery that she missed a step on the stairway, and with a yell, started to tumble down the stairs. It wasn't long though before she felt a tight, warm, strong grip pull her up. She opened her eyes and saw Draco, hovering over her with a worried expression on his face. She was surprised to see that most of her was now lying vertically across the steps on her back, with her head facing downwards toward the floor. And she was even more surprised to see that Draco _was _actually holding her hand. She thought she'd dreamt it.

In the next minute, he was hauling her upright as easily as if she weighed nothing at all. "You need to be more careful. These steps are slick. And we can't have you break your neck. That wouldn't do us any good."

At that moment, Ariella and Valerian came upon them. "Is everything all right?" Ariella asked. "We thought we heard yelling."

"Its fine," Draco replied almost immediately.

"Yes, it's fine. I just got distracted and missed a step, but Draco caught me before I fell." Hermione agreed in a rushed voice.

"We can see that," Valerian said, grinning as his eyes lit on their entwined fingers. When Hermione and Draco realized what he was looking at, they gasped and separated. This just made Valerian grin wider. "When you two are finished looking around, we'd like to meet you both in the parlor across the hall for a little chat."

They left before Hermione or Draco could reply. After they were gone, Hermione looked at the pictures for a few more moments, and then went down the stairway to look in some of the others rooms, and once again, Draco followed her.

"Do you think it's strange that Valerian knows his way around this place so well?" Hermione questioned as Draco fell in step beside her. "I mean, I've never heard of it, have you?"

He shook his head. "And it seems like those two know something we don't. Did you get a good look at their faces just now? At those know-it-all smirks that they were wearing?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, yes I did. Maybe we should head to the parlor now. Then we'll find out what they're up to, I'm sure of it."

They arrived in the parlor soon after and took a seat in the two red plush chairs across from a pair that Ariella and Valerian were sitting in. The other pair greeted them with enthusiasm, those infuriating grins still dancing on their faces.

"Nice to see you were able to get here," Valerian said as soon as they sat down. "Now, we have to tell you that Dumbledore had some business to take care of at Hogwarts, and he enlisted Ailbert to help him, leaving Ariella and me in charge of you. I have a feeling that we're going to get along famously, but you two must do what we ask of you, is that understood?"

Hermione and Draco nodded confusedly.

"All right then," Ariella replied. "First, Hermione, I would like you to come with me, and Draco you go with Valerian for that chat we talked about earlier."

"Why can't we do it all together?" Draco asked nervously.

"Because it will work better if we do it man to man and woman to woman," Ariella said with finality in her voice.

Hermione and Draco looked at one another and sighed, following their respective relations into their rooms.

* * *

Ariella shut the door behind her with satisfaction as she watched Hermione slump down on the bed and sigh heavily. 

"What did you want to talk about?"

Ariella walked over to the bed and sat beside her, putting her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I want you to tell me about Draco."

Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what's he like? What do you think of him?"

The question gave Hermione pause. She realized she'd never really taken time to think about him, beyond the Gryffindor prejudices she had.

"Well," she answered finally, "at school, we don't get along. He's in Slytherin and I'm in Gryffindor, and he's always surrounded by all his Slytherin buddies who hate me and make him act really nasty, especially to me because of having muggle parents which upsets my friends and causes lots of problems. This summer has been quite an interesting experience to say the least. I mean, I saw a side of him that I wouldn't have believed if you'd tried to tell me about it last year, and I just-" she stopped, unable to find more words.

Ariella nodded. "All right. Now, let's pretend that you were at school, going down to the dungeons for Potions class all by yourself and you lost grip on all your textbooks and started to topple down the stairs. Right at that moment, Draco comes by the stairs and happens to see you fall. Do you think that school Draco would try and save you like he did here, or would he laugh as he watched you fall?"

Hermione thought a moment. "Well, it would depend on if he was with anyone when he happened by. If he was with Crabbe and Goyle or Pansy Parkinson, he would probably laugh as I fell just to impress them, but if he was by himself, I don't know what he'd do."

Ariella's eyebrows knitted. "And who are those people?"

"Crabbe and Goyle are Draco's goons and Pansy is the girl who wishes she was his girlfriend."

Ariella nodded. "All right. I think I've heard enough. When Valerian and Draco are finished, they're going to knock. Then we will reconvene and talk all together."

"But Ariella, why are we doing all this?" Hermione cried.

"You'll see," Ariella grinned. "You'll see."

* * *

Meanwhile, Draco and Valerian were well into their own conversation. 

"…So you and she don't get along at school?" Valerian asked.

Draco shook his head. "I don't go near her if I can avoid it."

"Why?" Valerian asked.

Draco shrugged. "Because she's in Gryffindor and I'm in Slytherin and it just doesn't work out for us to be seen in each other's company."

Valerian nodded and sat down next to him. "All right, that's acceptable. Now, if I'd asked you why you didn't want to go near her a year ago, what would you have told me?"

Draco opened his mouth and tried to answer, but nothing would come out. Valerian smiled at that and excused himself for a moment to go fetch Ariella and Hermione.

A few minutes later, they were back in the parlor. Ariella insisted that Hermione and Draco share the couch, so she and Valerian were now in the single chairs.

"In your separate conferences," Ariella began, "you told Valerian and me what you thought of one another, until we each asked you a question that you weren't able to answer completely. Now, in each other's presence, we will ask you those questions again. I'll go first: Hermione, if you were at Hogwarts carrying your books to Potions and you happened to loose grip on them and topple down a flight of stairs while Draco was watching you, do you think you'd want him to save you? Do you think he would?"

Hermione looked at Draco for a moment before she answered. His eyes were eager, curious, as if he really wanted to know what she was going to say. They weren't cold at all. "I think he would save me," she said finally. "And I think that I would definitely want him to."

Ariella smiled. "All right."

"And Draco," Valerian continued, "You stated that you don't come near Hermione at school because it's not acceptable for you to be in each other's company. When I asked you how you would have answered that question last year, what did you say?"

Now Hermione looked at him, knowing full well what he would have said last year: It was because she was a mudblood. She dared him to say it now. She watched him closely. He took a deep breath.

"I would have said last year that it was because she's a m-" he stopped, then tried to start again. "A mu-"

And once again, Valerian smiled. "You can't call her a mudblood anymore, can you?"


	43. Working Together

Malfoy's eyes widened at the pronouncement. It couldn't be true, because it was just a word, so there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to.

"I wouldn't be around her last because she was a mu-" he paused. What did this mean? Did this mean that he was getting so close to Hermione that he was beginning to _like_ her, thus rendering him unable to flaunt her less-then-pureblood status right in front of her?

"It seems like he can't do it," Ariella observed dryly.

"And it also seems that he hasn't changed completely, because he's still trying." Hermione added, looking at him hard.

Draco finally stopped trying and shook his head. "You have it all wrong. I need to be able to say it so I don't throw my parents off. Just because I can't say it in front of you anymore doesn't mean there isn't a million other people with muggle parents my parents want me to be contemptuous of. And if I suddenly started walking around being nice to every muggle-born I came across, I'd have to do some explaining that I'm not really up to, especially since my parents seem to be their old selves again."

Ariella frowned and looked at Hermione. "Do you think he's telling the truth about that?" she asked. "Or do you think he's lying?"

"Oh, he's not lying," Hermione said immediately. "There was this one time before second year at Hogwarts that Harry, Ron, his family and myself were all at Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley and his father and I had a bit of a confrontation."

Ariella nodded. "That will have to be dealt with somehow, because it would do us no good to have Draco be in trouble with his parents, yet at the same time, we can't have him falling back on the bad habits he's just now admitting to himself."

She paused a moment, then looked slyly at Valerian. "You couldn't do anything about that, could you? I mean, Draco's father _is_ your great-grandson."

Valerian looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I would like that. And I would enjoy seeing more of the new family homestead then the outside."

"What do you mean by 'new family homestead'?" Draco asked. "In order to have a new family homestead, you'd need to have an old one."

Valerian nodded and gestured expansively around the room. "This place is the old family homestead," he said grandly.

"Yes," Ariella nodded in agreement. "I ended up here at Alstere House when Valerian had me picked up in the middle of the night. But I'm afraid that's all there is to it, nothing super-magical or what have you."

Draco looked at her, stunned. "So that's why I recognize the people on the walls!"

Ariella nodded, and Valerian looked at a clock on the wall. "I'd better be going if I'm expected to have Draco's father all right with this situation by the end of the day."

The other three nodded and said goodbye to him as he left, spending the rest of the day involved in a marathon game of Exploding Snap.

By the time Valerian returned home, it was late that evening, and both Hermione and Draco were already in bed. Ariella, however, had stayed up to wait for him. He found her on their bed, rocking back and forth and shaking.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern as he sat down and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her."

"I got a letter," she informed him, eyes glassy. "It was from Arion, who somehow figured out the address here. It asked me if I'd liked the things I found out today about Hermione getting bullied at school because of her muggle heritage, which he was not hesitant to remind me, is all my fault. It also said that if I wasn't, there was a way I could get the family magic back."

Valerian's eyes brightened. "How is that?"

"Well, all I'd need to do is give the vampires what they're owed, and then, somehow we'd get the family magic back."

She looked at Valerian, nearly in tears, and saw that he was frowning very deeply. "I don't see how Arion could have known all that. He must be around here somewhere. I'll go and find him, then I'll kill him. I hate to see you like this."

Ariella shook her head. "Don't bother with that now, Valerian. He was outside the house today in his bat form. I bet he's been there awhile, spying on us. He nearly attacked me when I went out into the gardens to replenish the roses in the front hallway. After I got him away, he turned into human form and made his proposition. Before I could say anything else and flew away. He's probably back at the Castle telling them to make ready for me. And I have to go. There's really no way to avoid it now."

Suddenly, the door, which had been open a tiny crack, shut with a click. "What do you think that was?" Ariella asked, her eyes wide.

"It was probably nothing," Valerian said calmly. He held on to her and began relating his day's adventure.

"I am sad to say that I didn't do as well with my mission as I'd hoped. Draco's parents were completely unmoving. I just don't think there is any way short of a magic spell that will change their minds."

Ariella sighed and nodded. "It was a nice try, anyway."

* * *

Hermione turned away from Valerian and Ariella's bedroom door with a soft gasp. She'd been unable to sleep and decided that Ariella might be up for a late-night chat. But when she'd arrived at Ariella's bedroom, she'd discovered that Valerian was home, and that a distraught sounding Ariella was telling him about some disturbing news she'd gotten earlier that day. Hermione decided at that point to stay around and eavesdrop to see if she heard anything interesting. 

Well, she hadn't been disappointed on _that _score. She turned on her heel and ran straight to Draco's bedroom, shaking him awake roughly.

"Draco, wake up! I just heard something terrible!"

Draco sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. "This had better be good. I was right in the middle of a very good dream."

Hermione grabbed her wand out of the side pocket of her pajama pants and cast _lumos_, suddenly filling the whole room with light.

"Well, here is goes," she began a little breathlessly. "I couldn't sleep tonight, so I got out of bed to go and see whether or not she'd mind a late-night chat. When I arrived at her door, however, she and Valerian were having a very serious discussion about some bad news she received earlier today."

"What bad news?" Draco asked, attempting to stifle a yawn.

"Well, apparently, Arion has been spying on us, and he came upon Ariella today and offered her a proposition."

Draco frowned. "How did he get here? I thought Valerian had the place guarded so he wouldn't be able to come near us!"

Hermione sighed. "I think Valerian _was_ the guard, and since he wasn't here, the vampires decided to take advantage. Anyway, the proposition was that if Ariella sacrificed herself, it would mean two good things: one, I would be spared and able to live my life, and two, they would somehow grant the Dionises their magic back. Grindelwald must have done something to put it in their possession. Ariella said she would have to go this time, and that she couldn't avoid it any longer. Draco, she's going to allow the vampires to sacrifice her! Do you understand?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, I understand," he said grumpily, pushing his messy hair out of his eyes. "You don't need to yell either. I'm tired, not deaf."

"We should stop her from doing it."

"How?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "We could do a time-travel spell, you know, pick her up right before they sacrifice her, and kill all the vampires that get in our way."

At that, Draco seemed to wake up. "What is _wrong _with you? I told you not to eat that entire box of Chocolate Frogs before bedtime. Look at what it's making you say! You shouldn't want to kill anyone. You're supposed to be the one who's morally upright between the two of us!"

Hermione frowned. "One of my family members' lives is at stake. I want to save her."

Draco sighed. "Fine, we'll look in Valerian's library for a time travel spell tomorrow. Now can I please get some sleep?"

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Draco. Oh, and by the way, it apparently didn't go at all well with your parents. I really think they are back to their old selves. Good night."

She then went to her own room, filled with anticipation for the next day.

* * *

It seemed like she'd barely closed her eyes when Draco woke her up the next morning. "Are you ready to start looking?" he asked. She nodded. They grabbed breakfast quickly and then headed to the library to begin their search. 

Around noon, Draco exclaimed "I think I found something!"

"What's that?" cried Hermione excitedly, rushing to his side.

"It seems to be a fairly simple time travel spell. It seems like it will take you anywhere."

"That will work," Hermione said agreeably. They took the book up to his bedroom.

"All right," Hermione said, gazing at it, "apparently, you say one set of words if you want to go into the past and another if you want to go into the future."

"Yeah, but it doesn't specify which is which. We'll just have to experiment."

"You can't just experiment with magic!" Hermione cried, scandalized. "You have to know what you're doing! Maybe we should just get a more definite spellbook."

"The more we wait, the more likely it will be that Ariella will decide to go be sacrificed for good. It says that when you end up at your destination, you become two people from the time period, for easier blending purposes."

"That's good to know."

"All right. We want to go into the future." Draco looked at the first set of words and recited them out loud. Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of white light and the room began to spin.

* * *

The next thing Hermione knew was waking up in a very cozy bed and seeing a small elf at her bedside holding a tray of food. 

"Here's your breakfast, Miss Ariella," it squeaked. At that moment, a tall, pretty dark-haired woman entered the room. "Good to see you're up, dear. Get dressed quickly. Valerian's at the front door."

"Yes Mother," Hermione answered automatically. _Wow, that spell really does make you part of the atmosphere._ She paused._ If we were in the future, why would I be talking to Ariella's mother?_ She looked at her bedside table and saw the calendar, dated 1933. Ariella would be seventeen years old now.

Draco had sent the two of them into the past, and now there was no chance of saving Ariella. Now all she could do was play along and see what happened.

A/n- I leave on vacation on Friday, and I'll be gone for a week. No updates until I get back, obviously.


	44. Closest Thing to Home

A/n- remember that time travel spell made Hermione into Ariella and Draco into Valerian. They retain all of their own knowledge, however. It's like Hermione and Draco are in a movie and Valerian and Ariella are their characters. When they are alone, they can be out of character and be themselves. And ten reviews before next update. There are only two or three chapters left in this story!

"Ariella, did you hear me? I said that Valerian was at the door and he wants to see you!"

Hermione looked up at the woman again and blinked a few more times before she realized she hadn't moved an inch since the woman had started speaking. She jumped out of bed and the house-elf holding the breakfast tray jumped aside and set it on her bedside table.

While Hermione dressed, Ariella's mother continued to muse to herself. Finally, she turned to face her daughter.

"I know you've been sick for a few days and that this is the first time you've been out of bed, but at least try to talk to people and act like you're having a good time. I've been getting several owls a day for a week now, wondering when you plan to venture forth!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Ariella's mother had "trophy wife" and "social ornament" written all over her. But when she turned to face her, she just smiled. "All right, Mother. I'll do my best. I'll have Valerian take me down to the Black Cat. Gwendolyn wrote me that she and Owen would meet me there when I was feeling up to it."

Mrs. Dionis smiled satisfactorily at that and left Hermione to dress. All the while, Hermione pondered who in the world Owen and Gwendolyn were, and where the Black Cat was.

Not long afterwards, she left her bedroom dressed in a set of pretty rose robes and went to the front door where she was not surprised to see the person at the other end.

"Hello Valerian, how are you?" Hermione greeted him in case Ariella's mother was in earshot. "How are things at Alstere House? Good, I trust?"

"Yes" he nodded. "I heard you were better this morning and I wondered if maybe you'd like to go out somewhere. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

Hermione shook her head. "Mother, Valerian and I are going to get something to eat. I'll be back in a bit," she called over her shoulder. When her mother called back a reply, Hermione steered "Valerian" out the front door and shut it behind her. As soon as she was sure no one was around to overhear, she exploded.

"Draco, do you realize how much trouble we're in? We sent ourselves back in the past, not in the future, as I assume you realize when you woke up this morning and people were calling you Valerian! And since we're in the past, the book is gone, which means we have no way to get to the present, which in turn means we're going to be stuck here forever! I told you not to experiment with magic, didn't I? And now look what happened?"

Draco, however, said nothing, and watched silently as she ranted. Then after she'd finished and was gazing at him with a self-righteous expression, he pulled a leather sack that he'd been carrying off his shoulder and took out its contents to show to her.

"It's the book!" Hermione cried, stunned. "We're saved!"

Draco nodded. "And now that you know we aren't going to be stuck here until the day we die, do you want to see what's around, and maybe go eat something like we're supposed to be doing right now?"

Hermione nodded. "I think we better. There's a place in the village called the Black Cat. It's kind of like the Three Broomsticks. Mother says I need to go and see people again because she's been getting lots of worried letters from people. Apparently, I've been ill for quite some time."

"I know," Draco said. "Your father sent my father a letter. You had a bad case of Joubly Syndrome."

Hermione frowned. "What's Joubly Syndrome?"

"It's kind of like amnesia and delirium mixed together, and you also cough, and sneeze and vomit."

Hermione shuddered. "Sounds pleasant."

They walked into the village making more pleasant conversation now that the mystery of her ailment had been solved. Once they arrived at the Black Cat, Hermione took a seat at a table while Draco went to order drinks and chat up some of Valerian's friends.

She was staring into space and not really thinking of anything when all of a sudden, she thought she heard a familiar voice at her elbow.

"We thought you'd be here with him. I mean, we hoped you wouldn't be, but there's really no avoiding the inevitable is there?"

She looked up and saw a pair of dark brown eyes looking back at her. She pushed her chair back to get a better look at the speaker, and was stunned to see that the brown eyes were set in a face that looked almost identical to Harry Potter's.

"Harry!" she squealed, forgetting for a moment where she was, and the fact that Harry had green eyes. "It's so wonderful that you're here. I mean, Draco and I are getting along, but he really isn't much to talk to."

The boy sat down across from her looking concerned. "Ariella, are you all right? I'm Owen, remember? Owen Potter."

A moment later, a girl very much resembling Ginny Weasley came and sat down beside Owen, smiling prettily at Hermione. "Ariella, it's so great to see that you're feeling better. Saw you come in with Valerian. Did he learn civility on his holiday or is he still as insufferable as ever?"

Owen looked at her and shook his head. "I think her mother let her out too early, Gwen. When she saw me, she called me Harry, and I think she referred to Valerian as Draco."

Gwen nodded and turned back to Hermione. "Ariella, remember me? I'm Gwendolyn Prewett."

Hermione looked at them for a moment. She realized her mistake the second after she opened her mouth, but at least she could blame the lingering effects of Joubly Syndrome if she really messed things up again.

"Oh, I know that of course," she said smiling. "Have the two of you ordered yet?"

Gwen and Owen shook their heads and continued to look at her with concern. A few minutes later, Draco showed up at the table carrying two bottles of Butterbeer and a large array of breakfast items. When he saw who Hermione was sitting next to, however, he frowned and quickened his pace. Hermione looked over and saw him approach, while thinking what to say that would stall a major fight. He probably thought that Owen was Harry as well.

"Valerian, you remember my friends Owen Potter and his girlfriend Gwendolyn Prewett."

Draco paused for a moment, nonplussed. Then, his expression changed from a Draco-esque sneer to a more Valerian-like frown.

"Didn't think you'd have the guts to come here, Potter," he said calmly. "This _is _more Slytherin territory after all."

Owen frowned. "Then why'd you bring Ariella here? She's as much a Gryffindor as I am! Or is her father not as accepting of that as he claims to be? Is that why you spend so much time with her? Because her father wants her to turn as vapid and shallow as the rest of her family so it will never seem like she was the odd brave duck?"

Before Hermione could blink, Draco threw the punch, and Owen was on the floor with a bloody, broken nose. Gwendolyn hurried to help him up while Hermione glared at Draco.

"You can't stay civil for two seconds, can you?" she asked shakily. "Even in this reality, you are the world's biggest git!"

And with that, she threw her napkin down on the table and strode out of the Black Cat. As soon as she was sure that Owen was okay, Gwen followed her.

"Ariella, what did you see when you were sick last week? What sort of place were you trapped in?"

Hermione collapsed on a bench outside a robe shop and motioned for Gwen to sit next to her. "It was the strangest thing," she said. "I seemed to be in the future, surrounded by all of our descendants."

"Really?" Gwen asked, interest in her face.

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "I saw my own great-granddaughter Hermione, Owen's great-grandson Harry, and Valerian's great-grandson Draco, not to mention many relatives of yours."

"And were Hermione and Draco related?"

Hermione shook her head. "Something will go on that will stop that from happening, or it least it did in that place."

"Even though it was a dream place, it sounds very interesting," Gwen responded. "I wish I could have seen it."

"I was a muggle-born," Hermione said suddenly. Gwen's eyes widened.

"Don't tell your mum about that. She's having enough problems as it is, considering that Lydia's probably a squib. She didn't want it to get out, but I heard anyway."

Hermione shook her head gloomily. "Well, I think that I can go back inside now," she told Gwen calmly. "Thanks for listening."

Gwen smiled. "Any time."

The two of them walked back inside the Black Cat to find Owen ordering drinks and Draco in the arms of a sultry, leggy blonde, who screeched in protest as Hermione hauled Draco away.

"What the hell was that?" Hermione cried as soon as she and Draco were a safe distance away from the Black Cat.

"She came on to me!" Draco answered. "And I _had_ to show her a good time."

"Oh, I'm sure you did." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I did," Draco said, his voice full of finality. "And when you feel like being reasonable, I'll tell you why. For now, let's just get out of here."

"Fine with me!" Hermione said.

Draco pulled the book out of his bag and muttered the other spell. Hermione shut her eyes against the light and said a silent goodbye to Owen and Gwendolyn, the best friends she had besides Ron and Harry.


	45. A Change of History

When her body stopped spinning, Hermione opened her eyes and found herself standing on an empty street corner overlooking a tiny village. It was around noon, she could see that by the huge clock that towered over everything. However, she could also tell that they were nowhere near London at this point. She turned to Draco, who was sitting beside her on the ground, taking in their surroundings. "Draco, where do you think we are?" she asked him.

"Well, we have to be in the future somewhere, because I said the spell next to the one that brought us into the past."

Hermione nodded, but something was still troubling her. "We can't have gone all the way into the past, could we? I mean as far as we wanted to go originally. This just doesn't seem like the place we wanted to end up. It's too small and lonely."

Draco looked up at her. "There seems to be a village down there. Let's go there and see if we can't discreetly figure out where we are and when we are."

Hermione snorted. "Don't be silly. The village looks to be quite a walk away. I don't want that much exercise and I doubt you do either."

Draco nodded. "Good point. It's a shame we're in the middle of nowhere and there aren't any places that would sell cars."

Hermione nodded ruefully. "I guess our only choice is to walk if we want to know anything."

They began walking together down the road when all of a sudden, Hermione heard the roar of a finely tuned engine and to her surprise, a car drove up alongside them. It was big and looked much older then any car Hermione had ever seen. But when the driver of the vehicle let down the window and asked them if they need a ride, she was sure that they were not as far into the future as they wanted to be.

"You two need a ride?" the young man asked. His smile was warm and friendly, and his brown eyes and bushy hair were very familiar to her. Draco said yes and gave her a strange look when she resisted. Finally, she gave in and allowed herself to be dragged to the vehicle.

"Where can I drop off you lot?" the driver asked. "Anywhere in the village?"

"Yes, please." Draco answered. "We had a car too, but it broke down a ways back."

The driver nodded, and when Draco was sure he was otherwise occupied, he frowned at Hermione and whispered "what is wrong with you? It was you who pointed out we shouldn't walk down to the village, and when we do get a ride, I have to all but carry you bodily into the car!"

"Draco, does our driver seem familiar to you in any way?"

He shook his head. "No, should he?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes! That is Ariella's first husband, and my great-grandfather, the muggle Stanley Granger! Since he didn't recognize me as Ariella, we have to be in a year before they met. God, we could be changing history right now. What if this day isn't supposed to happen?"

Draco scoffed. "Don't be silly. One little car ride is not going to stop him from meeting Ariella and having kids."

"You don't know that," Hermione said warningly.

"And speaking of changing history, would you like to know who the blonde at the Black Cat was, and why the two of us were snogging?"

Hermione nodded. "I would very much," she answered stiffly.

Draco sighed. "Her name is Marguerite Sharpe. She was the girl Valerian fell in love with after he left Ariella, and consequently, the mother of my grandfather."

Hermione looked at him, shocked. "If she fell in love with Valerian _after_ he left Ariella, then why were you snogging her now?"

He looked away. "The snogging at the bar was kind of the catalyst for their whole relationship."

Hermione nodded, and for awhile, the car was silent. Then, just as they reached the village, Stanley asked them if it was their first time in town. When they told him that it was, he began rattling off all the things there was to do, and most of the time forgetting to look at the road, which was getting very narrow. Hermione looked out her window and noticed another car coming right at them.

"Stanley, watch the road please," she said and he laughed.

"Don't be silly, I know these roads like the back of my hand." And he kept talking. Suddenly, a car coming towards them from the village and eager to have them out of its way, hit them head on and sent the car spinning off the road and bouncing into a field of grass. Hermione and Draco braced themselves against the shards of broken glass that jiggled free with every bounce. Cut and bleeding, they managed to pull themselves out of the car, which burst into flames. It was then that they realized Stanley Granger was still trapped inside and would not be coming after them.

As she watched the car burn, Hermione frowned at Draco, nearly in tears. "And I thought you said a little car ride wouldn't change history! Look at that. Stanley's dead, and that means I'm never going to be born!"

Draco said nothing, but put his arms around her, shielding her from the sight of the burning car.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "We can't do anything more. Let's just do the future spell again and try to get home."

* * *

The next time the spinning stopped, they opened their eyes to see a cold, dark room lit all around by tiny torches. Hermione was amazed to find herself sitting on the floor, tied to a post and dressed in a beautiful off-shoulder red gown. There were people in the room and Draco tried to shout at them to ask where they were, but no one paid any attention to him. It was almost like he wasn't there.

Finally, one of the people in the room, a tall dark man, untied Hermione and then got two others to carry her to a stone table, where her wrists were tied again to restrict her movement. The man looked at her for a moment. Then he called for a young man to come. When she heard the young man's name, she realized where she was.

"Draco!" she whispered loudly, just as the young man reached her, "We're at the first sacrificing ceremony!" she cried. "Since Valerian wasn't there, that's why no one can see you! Do something to distract them, so I can get free!"

He looked uncomprehending for a moment, then realized what she was saying. He didn't bother to look for wood just yet, but instead delivered a right hook to the jaw of the vampire nearest to him. The look on the vampire's face made Hermione grin, and when Draco brought down some more, she was able to loosen her knots and get free. By the time the vampires noticed anything, she'd managed to get a hold on her wand and freeze the room.

"Well, what should we do now?" Draco asked.

Hermione thought a moment. "Let's at least kill some of them. Then we'll have less to deal with when we get away." She looked at the young man who was standing over the table, looking at the empty space below him eagerly. "I think I'll start with him. That's Arion, can you believe it?"

Draco looked at the young man and shuddered. "Ariella's second husband and the sire of Fallon, the one person who made my life a complete and utter hell. Can I help finish him off?"

Hermione nodded. "And we should probably do away with the leader too. That way, there might still be vampires, but then they'll have no direction, as well as any others who threaten our lives. Then we get out of here."

Draco nodded. "That makes sense. You know, this is a whole other side of you that I've never seen before. I think I like it. Unfreeze the room now."

Hermione did so, and immediately the fight began. Draco handled the vampires who were guards and random unfortunates trying to tap into his veins while Hermione faced off with the Clan leader, not Gammried this time, but a young male vampire named Arleyan. She had to admire his gumption and drive. By the time he was a pile of ashes, she was bleeding heavily and out of breath. But she couldn't stop. She took a deep breath and with a burst of speed, ran up behind a surprised Arion, hitting him and knocking him to the floor.

When Draco saw what she was doing, he quickly dispatched the vampire he was fighting and ran to help her. After a struggle, Hermione had Arion down on the floor and Draco held a splinter of wood he had found over the vampire's heart. Before Hermione had time to look away, Draco brought the stake down, turning a screaming Arion into a big pile of ashes.

Groaning in pain, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and the two of them ran from the Clan castle. Once they were on the road, Hermione took stock of her injuries and magically healed the ones she could. The rest she could bear having until they healed. Before Draco said the spell that would send them into the future, and hopefully, home, Hermione put a hand on his arm.

"You know when we get back, Ariella and Valerian won't be together anymore," she said quietly. "I feel bad doing that to them because they seemed so happy."

Draco nodded. "My life depends on Valerian's second relationship, but in a sense, we did what we came back to do. We stopped Ariella from having to sacrifice herself. In fact, you should be happy. You saved her life."

Hermione nodded. "I guess so. I can't wait to see what we have to go back to, since we messed everything up so bad."

Draco smiled and took her hand. "Well, let's find out." And taking her hand, he said the spell one last time, sending them to a home they knew would be very different, but just how different, they had no idea.

A/n- Next chapter is the last one!


	46. A Very Different Future

A/n- for the chapter's sake, Pansy is a pureblood.

When Draco and Hermione landed, all seemed right with the world. They recognized where they were, and it was exactly the place they should be. It was Malfoy Manor. Draco took Hermione's hand and they walked up the front steps, and Draco rapped on the front door, waiting eagerly for someone to come answer it. To say that they were nervous about what or who might be on the other side of the door was an understatement.

They breathed a sigh of relief when it was just a house-elf, who recognized them immediately and ushered them inside, saying that Master Lucius and Mistress Narcissa wished to have a talk with them.

As soon as the house-elf was out of sight, Hermione gave Draco a look. "What do you think your parents would want to talk to _me _about?" she asked him. "They don't even like me as far as I can remember. The only reason why they put up with me before was so that your grandmother wouldn't kill them both."

Draco nodded. "That's true. But they might want to talk to you because around here, they _do_ like you. I mean, we did cause your muggle great-grandfather to get in a car accident and die before he even met your great-grandmother. What if, somehow, you're a pureblood in this reality? I mean, assuming we are in a different reality. Oh, and if they ask us anything that seems strange, I suggest that we just go along with it so they won't worry and think we need to be sent to the hospital or something."

Hermione nodded. When another house-elf happened by, Draco asked it where his parents were, and it led them to the good parlor, where Narcissa sat drinking a cup of tea, and Lucius was beside her, reading a thick book.

As they entered the room, Narcissa looked up and saw them, a smile lighting her face. "There you two are! I was wondering when you would get back! We have so much to do and so little time to do it!"

As Draco and Hermione watched, Narcissa gestured to a small, white silk-covered book in her lap. "I have all the details right here, so we shouldn't have too much trouble." Still smiling, she looked up at Hermione.

"Don't worry if you feel a bit overwhelmed. I called your mother, and she said that Pansy would be more then willing to help you with the plans if you need it. After all, what are cousins for?"

"Of course," Hermione agreed confusedly, not having the slightest idea what she was talking about. "I need to talk to Draco about something alone for a moment, if you don't mind."

Narcissa nodded, and Hermione grabbed a surprised Draco by the arm and dragged him to one of the rooms down the hall, shutting the door behind her.

"Do you have any idea what your mother is talking about?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Don't look at me; your guess is as good as mine."

Hermione growled softly. "We've been in this reality for all of twenty minutes and already I hate it. Your mum likes me and for some reason and I find that creepy. I think that if we would have stayed in the parlor, she would have eventually tried to hug me! Tell me that you don't consider that odd behavior."

Draco nodded. "Yeah. That and the fact that she said Pansy was your cousin. That can only mean one thing: you are pureblood in this life. I know Pansy's parents and they would not tolerate any muggle relations."

Hermione's eyes widened at that. "You can't be serious. If I'm Pansy's cousin, that probably means that I was in Slytherin in this reality, and that means that Ron, Harry and I were never friends. In fact, that makes them my enemies. I don't like this. I don't like this one bit." Growling slightly, she flopped into a chair and closed her eyes.

Draco sighed. "So you don't like it. What do you suggest we do? Go back in time again and make sure Stanley Granger doesn't get in the car accident?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, that is what we should do. Then everything will be back to normal and I will be happy."

Draco looked away from her and pulled a tiny hand mirror from a dressing table that was positioned next to him and handed it to her. "Before you go back in time, you might want to take a look at yourself."

Reluctantly, Hermione opened her eyes and took the hand mirror from him, looking at herself. She was surprised to see that she didn't look that different. She still looked a lot like herself, but she looked _better _then before. Her hair was no longer bushy, her teeth were straight and tiny and her nose was pert. Her eyes had lightened from dark brown to a lighter chestnut.

Smiling to herself, she slowly let the mirror down. "Is that really me?" she asked.

Draco looked for a moment and nodded. "It is indeed. Now, think of how you looked before, and everything else about your life in the other reality. Do you really want to go back to that just for Potter and Weasley?"

Hermione thought. "Could I have a few minutes alone?" she asked. Draco nodded and left, shutting the door behind him. She sat down at the desk and fumed for a moment, angry that she had to make such a choice. At the beginning of the summer, she wouldn't have thought that this could happen. She'd been bored and looking for a little excitement. Draco had shown up at the beach needing a fake fiancée, and just to get away from a lovesick and annoying prepubescent, she'd all but sold her soul. Despite all the times they'd shared this summer, she still wasn't really sure she liked Draco or anything. And now, she had to choose between the two greatest friends she'd ever had and a pretty face.

Abruptly, a sharp knock on the door interrupted her musings. She called for the person on the other side to enter, thinking it to be Draco. To her shock, it was not him, but a grumpy-looking Pansy Parkinson on the other side, holding in her arms the book that Narcissa had had in her lap earlier.

"Okay, my mum forced me to come over here because Draco's mother called her and said that you needed help planning your wedding."

Hermione looked at Pansy wide-eyed, not understanding what she was saying. "Excuse me, could you repeat that? I need help planning my _what_?"

Pansy just glared at her. "Don't be stupid. You know perfectly well you and Draco are getting married next week. It could have been me, but _no_, he wanted to marry you. And he had to pick my birthday party to make his proposal. It's apparently not enough that I have to play second fiddle to you because even _my _parents think that you're smarter and prettier then I am. Now I have to be humiliated and forgotten because precious, smart and wonderful Hermione gets proposed to!" She glared at Hermione with an expression of intense dislike, too angry to speak anymore.

Hermione felt herself start to grin. She excused herself to run into the bathroom where she burst out laughing. A moment later, there was a knock at the bathroom door and Draco entered grinning.

"What's going on?" he asked. "You suddenly seem pretty happy."

Hermione smiled back. "Well, apparently, you and I are getting married next week."

"Really?"

"Yep," she nodded. "Pansy's really upset about it too. Apparently, everyone we know including our parents think I'm smarter, prettier and all around better then she is. In fact, you even proposed marriage to me at her birthday party in front of all her friends." She smiled. "That was so bad of you."

Draco smiled. "Well, probably figured it would just make your day."

"What?" Hermione asked. "The getting proposed to, or seeing Pansy one-upped at her own birthday party?"

"Both." He looked at her slyly. "See? Now aren't you even the teeniest bit glad that we didn't rush back to save Stanley Granger from the car accident?"

Hermione gave a small nod and leaned against him. "Maybe just a teeny bit." She paused. "But where exactly do I come from in this reality? There has to be more to me then just being Pansy Parkinson's cousin."

Just then, Narcissa opened the door and smiled at them. "Draco, Hermione, Valerian and Marguerite have arrived for a visit. Valerian in particular seems very eager to speak to you."

Intrigued, they left the bathroom and followed Narcissa back to the parlor where Lucius and Valerian were involved in a discussion about something very complicated. When Narcissa interrupted them wit "Valerian, I found Hermione and Draco," the conversation ceased and Lucius suddenly got up to go find a book in the library and Narcissa followed, leaving Hermione, Draco and Valerian alone.

"Do you have any questions?" Valerian asked after a few moments of silence. "If you do, ask me, and I'll answer them as best I can. I'll explain how I know what I do afterwards."

Hermione and Draco nodded.

"I have one," Hermione asked. "We sort of killed Stanley Granger before Ariella ever had a chance to meet him, so where do I come from?"

Valerian smiled slightly. "I thought you'd ask that. This time around, your full name is Hermione Ariella Dionis. Your great-grandfather is Ariella's younger brother Rhys. Your mother's name is Charlotte Parkinson, and your father's name is Adrian Dionis."

Draco looked at Hermione and smiled. "See, I knew you were pureblood in this life."

"What happened to Ariella?"

Valerian looked pained for a moment. "She died in childbirth, both her and the baby. And your family has its magic because Ailbert sacrificed Lydia, who turned out not to be a squib."

Hermione felt herself start to tear. "I'm sorry."

Valerian nodded. "Thank you. Anyway, I know what I know because as part of the spell you cast, the people in the house with you know what happen so they can answer questions in the event that you change history."

"That's convenient."

Valerian smiled. "It really is a nice little spell, if you know what you're doing." He gazed at Hermione. "What's going on with you two this time around?"

"Well," Hermione answered, smiling, "Draco and I are getting married next week."

* * *

"…And do you Draco Malfoy take Hermione Dionis to be your lawfully wedded wife?" 

Draco looked at Hermione and smiled. "I do."

"And do you, Hermione Dionis take Draco Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Hermione nodded. "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The kiss was met with cheers and applause from the wedding guests, and when Hermione's mother asked the couple if they were glad to be married, they looked at each other, and Draco said "yes, it marks the end of a very strange engagement."

The End...for now.

A/n-if anyone wants a sequel and wants to PM me ideas, feel free! And if you're worried about the ending, read ch. 1 of sequel "A Stranger Life." It helps explain why I ended this story the way I did. Don't worry, there is a reason. I'm not being weird or needlessly cruel.


	47. Epilogue and Sequel Preview

This is for everyone who has issues about the ending. Chapter one of A Stranger Life, which can also be an epilogue to this story.

Hermione woke up with a start. Ever since she'd entered the reality that had turned her into a pureblooded Slytherin, as well as Draco's wife, she'd been having the oddest dreams of her rightful Gryffindor past. They concerned her, because she figured that she would have forgotten all that by now. Not that she actually wanted to of course, but strictly for the sake of personal adjustment.

Beside her, Draco stirred. "What's the matter? Did you have another one of those dreams about the other reality again?"

Hermione nodded and hopped out of bed. "It's really strange. You would think that if I were supposed to adjust to this reality, the dreams would stop, and I would be able to. And yet, nothing's changed. At least not in my mind." Suddenly, she turned around and gave Draco a hard gaze.

"Do you ever feel strange about what we did? Like that we shouldn't have done it, and that all this seems really unnatural?"

Draco sighed. "Don't tell me; you're already feeling guilty for abandoning Potter, Weasel and all the rest of your Gryffindor buddies just for a little social and emotional security."

"Yeah, that's about it. And that's not the only reason I stayed. When Pansy came into my room and told me how I'm viewed by our families compared to how she is, I guess I just got drunk with power. That's the real reason I wanted to stay."

Draco laughed. "You wanted to stay for the sole reason of being able to torture Pansy emotionally because you knew you could?"

Hermione nodded and headed to the bathroom to run a cool cloth over her forehead. The dream had still left her a bit shaken. "Yeah, petty and immature, isn't it?"

Frowning, she turned away from the mirror. "But we're really just kidding ourselves with this whole situation. I mean, for one, I'm not sure if I even love you, and could you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me you love me too?"

"Yes," Draco said immediately. He leaned in closer so that they were eye to eye and said "I love you too."

Hermione nodded. "All right. But you only did that to prove you could. You didn't really mean it. And why is it so easy for you now? Before we got here, things were going well enough. We were being civil to one another and there was even the occasional minute when I, as Hermione Granger, muggle-born witch, felt that I could have fallen in love with you as you were. But let's face it. Reaching even civility took a couple of months. It didn't just happen overnight. But now you can tell me you love me without even blinking an eye. It's because I'm more like you, isn't it? I'm exactly the perfect Slytherin girl your parents want you to be with."

Draco nodded. "All right. I admit that there is truth to what you say, but you have to admit, this is the only way this would have worked out. Why else would we have landed here instead of back home if it wasn't?"

Hermione looked at him for a moment, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the bathroom. "So you're telling me," she replied furiously, "that the only way we could be together in this reality or any other is for you to get what you want and do nothing for it, while I give up everything, including my beliefs and every single person I hold dear? My God, you must have a really high opinion of yourself."

Turning on the sink so he could brush his teeth, Draco looked at her angry reflection in the mirror behind him. "When you get dressed, put on something classy. We have to go out to breakfast with my parents again this morning."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean they want me to meet more of your relations? My God, how many do you have that I haven't already met yet? Will you tell them I don't feel well? I really don't think I can handle another brunch."

Draco frowned. "No I can't. This one isn't like last time where Father's sister wanted to see you again. These are relatives you haven't met yet. Get dressed. I'll watch you if I have to."

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave in. She went to the closet and pulled out two robes, holding them up so he could see them. "Which one looks better?" she asked tiredly. Draco picked the green one and herded Hermione into the bathroom to help her into it.

Once they were both dressed, they left the house and walked down the street to the little French-type café where they always met Draco's parents for brunch. They were early however, and while they waited, Hermione talked some more.

"Are we ever going to move away from your parents' prying eyes? I mean, we're out of school and married, yet we just live down the street from them! It's like we never left at all! Doesn't that bother you?"

Draco rubbed his temples. "I'll tell you what's starting to bother me. Can't you keep quiet for more then two seconds?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not until I feel like I've gotten my point across."

"What point?"

"The point that we shouldn't be here, and this whole sick reality is wrong! This is not what I want to do with my life. This is the life for someone like Pansy, who is perfectly content with doing nothing to enhance her life or her brain. Give me vampires and time-travel any day."

Draco sighed. "I admit you were much more pleasant to be around when you were muggle-born, and I do miss doing all the adventurous stuff we did before we got into this life, but what do you propose we do about it?"

"It's easy," Hermione said simply. "I'll go see Professor Dumbledore and get him to cast Priori Chronus spell and we'll go back in time, and it will be like this whole sorry affair never happened.

"Yes, but where are you going to ask he send us? To when we got Stanley in the car accident before he met Ariella?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course. Then I was still a muggle-born. It won't do us any good if we go anywhere else."

Draco nodded. "All right. So we have a plan to make things back into the way they were. After brunch, you write Professor Dumbledore and see if you can get it set up. Now that we have that on the horizon, can you at least pretend like you enjoy brunch? For the sake of my sanity?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course. But the main objective for what we're going to do is not only to get things back the way they were, but to find a way for us to be together that is pleasant and tolerable for both of us. Because I still want to be with you. I just don't want to give up everything to do it."

And as Narcissa and Lucius approached the table, Draco whispered, "Smile. They brought Professor Snape this time, as well as Aunt Bellatrix."

Nothing you recognize is mine!


End file.
